By Reason of Birth
by redheadfaerie
Summary: She had always known she was adopted, and for many years she had also known that she would be returned to her birth family, but she had no idea what family she belonged to. Truthfully, she hadn't ever cared. But now the time has come. Secrets come out
1. Chapter 1 The Letter

Summary- She had always known she was adopted, and for many years she had also known that she would be returned to her birth family, but she had no idea what family she belonged to. Truthfully, she hadn't ever cared. But now the time has come. Secrets come out and Hermione must start the next chapter of her life. As a Nott.

Disclaimer- The premise is inspired by the cliché challenge on GE, the characters are Jo's, but the characterizations, for the most part, are mine, all mine! (and no money changes hands)

Author's Note- I'm trying to keep this as close to canon through book 5 as possible, but there are some big differences, which you will find out in time. also much thanks to the beta for this fic, Lupie.

**The Letter**

Sunday, June 8, 1997

Hermione Granger woke up in her bed at her parent's home as she had every day since the summer holidays began. The war had ended- the final battle where Harry killed Voldemort with a Rebounding Charm had been almost a month ago now. In two more weeks, she would be going to the Burrow, but until then she was happy to be spending so much time with her parents. Hermione had spent most of her school holidays with Harry and Ron and she had missed them.

Looking over at the clock, she saw that it was already almost nine. It was late, especially for the summer. As far as she was concerned, early morning was the best time of day- the air crisp, the world taking its time to wake. Slipping from her bed, Hermione stretched her entire body before collecting her things and heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

Half an hour later, Hermione was sitting at the breakfast table, eating the food she had prepared alone, both of her parents already at work. As she was cleaning off her plate, she heard a slight tapping at the window and looked up to see a regal owl sitting on the windowsill. She dried off her hands and opened the window, allowing the owl to land on the counter. It promptly stuck out its foot, and she took the attached parchment, giving the owl a couple of treats and a drink of water before it took off to wherever it came from.

Curious, Hermione gazed at the wax seal, the family crest imprinted on it foreign to her. She ripped through the seal and unrolled the parchment, laying it down on the table to read, her remaining dishes forgotten.

_Miss Hermione Granger,_

_We are pleased to inform you that two days from now, June 10, 1997, on the date of your majority, a meeting has been set up between yourself, your adoptive parents, Eugene and Madeline Granger, your birth parents, Brisco and Caoilinn Nott, and your brother, Theodore Nott, concerning your impending reconciliation with your birth family, as stated in paragraph twenty of your adoption agreement._

_All parties are expected to be at 1489 Drury Lane, London, the offices of Bender, Fry, and Zoidberg at precisely 3:30PM. We look forward to meeting you and helping you and your family in this time of need._

_Sincerely,_

_Philip J. Fry_

Hermione read through the parchment three times before rolling it back up, her entire body trembling. Nott? She was a Nott? She had always known she was adopted, and for many years she had also known that she would be returned to her birth family, but she had no idea what family she belonged to. Second year, when Malfoy had called her a Mudblood, she had tried to correct him. She didn't know if she were a pureblood or not, but she assumed she had to be at least half-blood. The words would not leave her mouth, as though some sort of magic would not let the secret be revealed. Because of this, neither of her best friends knew of her heritage.

Truthfully, she hadn't ever cared. While in most things Hermione was insatiable in her thirst for knowledge, this was one subject that thirst did not pertain to. As far as she had always been concerned, Eugene and Madeline Granger were her parents, the couple that had created her nothing more than a sperm and egg donor.

But a Nott? She had at one point considered that she was the offspring of Death Eaters, but had quickly bypassed the thought. She had imagined that if it were the truth she would not have been sorted into Gryffindor, conveniently ignoring all of the examples that would strengthen her counterpoint.

In the back of her mind, though, she had known it to be a probability more than a possibility. When she had been told that she would be returned to her birth family at her majority, she had asked why they would want her back if they had given her up in the first place. She was told that she had been given away for safety reasons. She couldn't figure out what exactly those reasons could be, but it had sounded foreboding to the thirteen year old witch.

She thought back to her interactions with the Nott family. She had never seen the woman who had given birth to her, and the only time she had been around her supposed father was a little over a year ago at the Department of Mysteries. She had never seen his face since he had kept his mask on, but she knew which one he was, one of the other Death Eaters having called him by name. The more she tried to recollect that night the more she realized that he had never sent a spell her way, and hadn't sent anything more powerful than a Stunning Spell to her friends.

She had been in quite a few classes with Theo over the years. He seemed smart, though he never answered the teacher's questions unless directly asked. He was a quiet person and he seemed to prefer being alone rather than joining a group. She had never gotten the impression that he was friends with Malfoy and his cronies, and she couldn't remember a single occasion where... her brother... had ever made fun of her or her friends. She had never really thought twice of the quiet Slytherin, positively or negatively.

Now that she knew of the relation, she was surprised that no one had figured it out, including herself. Theo was tall, almost a whole head taller than her. In their younger years, he had been so thin that he bordered being scrawny, but now, though he was still incredibly thin, his shoulders were broader, his arms toned rather than massive, and he had an air of confidence about him. At least of what she could remember from seeing him about the school when they weren't required to wear their uniforms.

It was his face that gave away their relation, though. They had the same lips, the same eyes, and the same eyebrows. Only their noses and cheekbones differed, the latter probably because of their genders. Not to mention his hair. He kept it clipped short, but once or twice over the years he had let it grow out so his entire head was covered in brown curls that she suspected would turn frizzy if he let it grow any longer or used less product in it.

An errant thought entered her mind and she unrolled the parchment again, her eyes confirming her confused thought. The letter said that her birthday was in two days, on the tenth. She had always celebrated it on the twelfth. In her adoption had they even changed her birthday? She was going to have a long talk with her parents tonight. Even if she hadn't wanted to know who her birth family was, her parents knew that she would be meeting them within the week and should not have let her find out like this.

She spent the day in thought before making a large dinner with all of her favourite comfort food. When her parents came home and saw the spread on the table, they knew that something was wrong but knew their daughter better than to ask what had happened. She would bring it up in her own time.

After all the dishes from dinner had been cleaned and put away, Hermione pulled the parchment from a drawer and handed it to her father. He opened it and read it, his face turning whiter with every sentence. Her mother, who was reading the letter from over his shoulder, brought her hand to her bosom as tears filled her eyes.

Hermione had gracelessly plopped into a cushy chair in the lounge while they were reading and they soon followed, sinking into the matching couch, their fingers entwined for support.

"Why didn't you tell me who they were?" Hermione asked, looking at her parents, her voice filled with more hurt than even she expected.

"We couldn't, honey, not until the week before you were to meet them," her father told her, soothingly.

"But that would have been last week, and I wouldn't have found out by post," Hermione pouted.

"We - we forgot that you are considered of age at seventeen in the wizarding world. We thought we still had another year with you," her mother sniffled, trying unsuccessfully to hold back her tears at the thought of losing her daughter so soon.

At this, Hermione lost her resolve to be mad with her parents and crossed the room, cuddling in between them as her own tears spilled over.

"Why does it say that my birthday is in two days and not four?" she asked, her head resting on her father's shoulder and her hand ensconced with her mothers.

"Well, honey, that was one of the stipulations in the adoption. You couldn't keep the same birthday because it would make the connection easier to figure out, since you and your brother are twins."

"Twins? Theo is my twin? But aren't twins supposed to have some kind of connection? I've never felt anything like that with him."

Madeline smiled indulgently at her daughter who was sometimes so smart but sometimes so naive. "Hermione, dear, that's very rare. Even in those cases, the two people involved grew up together and in the same home."

"I know, Mum," Hermione sighed, "I'm just trying to make some sense of all this."

"How about we put this to the back of our minds for a couple days and have some fun as a family," Eugene suggested. "We can start by going out to the movies tonight, and tomorrow your mother and I will take a sick day and we'll spend the entire day together."

"That sounds nice," Hermione replied with a small smile.


	2. Chapter 2 The Meeting

a/n- alright, so here's chapter 2. I'm hoping to post one chapter a day, so we'll see how well that works out for me, lol.

**The Meeting**

Two days later, Hermione, Eugene, and Madeline Granger took the two hour drive into Central London, arriving at their destination half an hour ahead of time, and decided to spend their remaining time together as a family visiting a local coffee house.

They were back at the office at three twenty-five and sat in the waiting room after telling the secretary they were there. Not more than a minute later, they were escorted in to a large office, the Nott family already sitting off to one side of the room.

Theo was seated between his- their- parents, looking just as she remembered him. Their mother was seated to his right. She was wearing immaculate melon-coloured dress robes, the colour perfectly complimenting her skin. Her long, dark brown hair was left loose, flowing down her back in soft waves. Her face held very little makeup, accentuating her best features. She was pretty but not beautiful, and reminded Hermione very much of herself.

Mr. Nott- her father- was on Theo's other side. His build was very like his son's, only with a little more meat on his bones. He looked very nice in his light grey robes. His hair was also clipped short, and Hermione had the sneaking suspicion that the wild hair gene ran through his family. His facial features were strong where his wives were soft, with a square jaw, slightly wide eyes and a long, straight nose, which he had also passed on to his son. He had the type of looks that constables hated- average height, average build and average looks.

Hermione gave them a tentative smile before her attention was brought to a short, stocky man in professional Wizarding robes with beady eyes and a handlebar moustache. "Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger, it's a pleasure to meet with you again," the man said, shaking their hands. "And this lovely young woman must be Hermione. It is nice to finally meet you. My name is Philip Fry, and I am your family's barrister." He lifted her hand and gave her a slight bow, though he didn't try to kiss her hand.

He let her go, motioning for the three newcomers to sit in the chairs across the room from the Notts. It was a small room though, and there wasn't a gap between the two groupings of chairs. Mr. Fry sat behind his desk and shuffled through some papers. Hermione didn't know if there was a point to it or if he was just trying to look important. It didn't really matter to her either way, she was just looking for something to focus on to try and stop the slight nervous tremble that had wracked her body.

After a minute, Mr. Fry cleared his throat and looked up at his tense employers, noticing how everyone in the room was trying to look at everyone else without being noticed themselves. "You are all here today so we can discuss the arrangements of the change of custody of one Hermione Granger."

He hadn't gotten very far before Hermione cut him off, making an observation. "I'm sorry, Mr. Fry, but did you say 'change of custody'? It would seem to me that if today is actually my birthday rather than in two days from now like I have always believed, then I am legally of age and therefore under my own custody."

"Yes, Miss Granger, that is true. What I am speaking of are really the plans that must be made to remove you and your things from the Granger's home to that of the Nott's." Hermione looked at him suspiciously, more questions popping into her mind, but she nodded at him to continue.

It took an hour just for Mr. Fry to go over the adoption contract with a fine-tooth comb and try to smooth out all the legal details of Hermione's return to her birth family. Her temper had been rising throughout the meeting, everything she said swept aside as though her feelings about what was going on made absolutely no difference whatsoever.

It was when Mr. Fry unceremoniously placed a document in front of Hermione and handed her a quill expecting her to sign it without any questions when she finally blew up. She looked down at the parchment, reading the first line. "No," she said, looking up and staring straight at the barrister. "I refuse to sign this."

"Excuse me?" he asked, taken aback.

"This paper," she repeated, waving the parchment in the air. "I will not sign it."

"Why not?" he asked, genuinely confused as everyone else looked on.

"Why not?! Because if I sign this form I will no longer be a Granger! I may be a Nott by blood, but these two Muggles sitting next to me are my parents, my family. They raised me for my entire life with love and care. Whenever I was hurt, they kissed it better. Whenever I was sad, they made me laugh. Whenever I needed them, they were there. If I sign that parchment, I will be renouncing them and I WILL NOT pretend that I was never their daughter, like they were just a dream."

By the end of Hermione's tirade, during which she stood up and leaned over the desk towards Mr. Fry in an intimidating manner, all four of her parents had tears in their eyes, though Brisco Nott's were the only ones that didn't spill over. The Granger's were crying for the obvious love their daughter held for them and the love they felt in return, while her birth parents were crying because they could not be all of those things for their daughter.

"But, Miss Granger, you have to sign them," the barrister sputtered out. "The adoption agreement clearly states that at the age of seventeen you are to leave the Granger's and fully enter Wizarding society."

"The agreement says so," she mocked, showing her young age. "I didn't sign that contract. I wasn't even alive then! Come up with a different solution if you like, but I won't be signing that as it is. What kind of stupid contract was it to begin with, waiting until I'm of age? I thought you people were Slytherins! If you wanted me to do exactly what I'm being told without argument you should have had this meeting last week when I was still a minor."

"Hermione, dear, you would have still argued a week ago," Madeline pointed out. She and Eugene weren't in the least bit surprised by Hermione's outburst, knowing she wasn't going to take the meeting all too well. Brisco and Caoilinn looked hurt by Hermione's refusal, though they couldn't blame her for her feelings.

Hermione fell back into her chair with a 'harrumph', her arms crossed over her chest and her face glaring at no one in particular.

Theo stood up from his own chair and went behind Hermione's, gazing down at her with a sympathetic look on his face. "Hermione, why don't you come for a walk with me while these five come up with a suitable compromise," he said, speaking for the very first time as he held his hand out for her.

She looked up at him warily, biting her bottom lip before slowly nodding and taking his hand. Once she was standing they each let go and walked out of the room, neither glancing back. Before they left the building, though, Theo stopped at the men's toilets to take off his robes and Shrink them to fit in the pocket of his trouser shorts, happy to finally be allowed to do magic outside of school. His clothes were Wizard made, but fit in well enough when around Muggles.

The two walked out the building and into the early summer heat, Hermione pulling a pair of sunglasses out of her bag. They walked aimlessly through the city, neither really talking, the silence comfortable between them. After a bit, Theo noticed that Hermione was slowing down, taking light steps in the heels her parents had insisted she wear. A block down the road he saw an outdoor cafe and asked if she would like to stop for a bite to eat. She answered with a grateful 'yes,' and they made their way over to the cafe.


	3. Chapter 3 The Encounter

**The Encounter**

Hermione and Theo remained quiet as they read over their menus, and only began to talk after the waitress had taken their orders. Theo moved his chair so they were sitting next to each other rather than across from one another to keep their conversation quiet. "So this must have come as a bit of a shock to you," he commented.

"Kind of, yes. I've always known that I was adopted, and four years ago I was told that I would be returned to my birth family, but until I received the letter from Mr. Fry I didn't know who they- you- were. I was slightly horrified at first, but then I realized that you had never once been mean to me or my friends, and your- our- father hadn't tried to seriously hurt any of us at the Ministry. So, while it's going to take some getting used to, it could be worse. I could be a Malfoy," she responded with a shudder that caused him to chuckle. "Have you always known?"

"Pretty much. Mum and Dad really wanted to take you back after the Dark Lord disappeared when we were babies, but the adoption agreement was iron-clad. When he came back, they were grateful they hadn't succeeded and you were still safe."

"But then why was I given away and you weren't? You were in danger, too."

"Well, when Dad became a Death Eater right out of Hogwarts, he pledged his first-born child to him. By the time Mum was pregnant, he was having second thoughts. But as you know, no one just stops being a Death Eater.

"When they found out Mum was pregnant with twins, they made the Healer take an Unbreakable Vow to never let anyone know. We were born at home, with that same Healer delivering us, and you were whisked away to the Granger's. They didn't want either of us to serve the Dark Lord, but since he had known Mum was pregnant, they had to produce a child. Had he known there were two of us, he would have considered it a two for one deal and you would have been pledged to him as well."

Hermione looked at her brother in shock. So it hadn't been a lie that she had been given away for her safety. Before she could respond, though, their food arrived, smelling heavenly. For the rest of the meal they only spoke about trivial things, getting to know each other better. When it was time to pay, Theo realized that he only had Wizarding money on him, making Hermione laugh as she paid the bill.

As soon as they made it back onto the street, they were accosted by Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, who had been watching the two from across the street for the previous five minutes. After defeating Voldemort, Harry had moved into Grimmauld Place with his godfather Sirius Black, no longer needing the blood protection of the Dursleys. The night at the Ministry had scared Harry very badly, having almost lost Sirius to the veil and Bellatrix's wand. Thankfully, Sirius had been able to dodge the curse just in time, and Harry had wanted to be around him as much as possible since then.

It was a nice day, and the two teens had wanted to go for a walk around Muggle London. After having walked only about ten minutes from home, they had heard a familiar voice carry in the wind. Looking over, they had seen Hermione sitting very close to Theo Nott, and looking like they were having not only an engaging conversation, but an intimate one based on how close they were seated.

"Hermione, what the hell are you doing hanging out with him? He's a Slytherin and his dad's a Death Eater!" Ron greeted them before Harry had the chance to open his mouth. Harry shook his head, his eyes rolled upward. He may not have liked seeing the company Hermione was keeping, but he knew there must be a reason for it. He also knew Ron was taking the wrong tactic to figure out the reason.

"Really, Ron? I had absolutely no idea Theo was sorted into Slytherin," Hermione responded sarcastically, not commenting on the second part of Ron's outburst. "Theo, did you know you're a Slytherin?" she asked, turning to her brother.

"None whatsoever," he replied, his eyes dancing with mirth.

"Ha. Ha," Ron responded dryly. "Really, though. Why are you here with _him_?" He gave the other a decidedly dark glare. Theo was tempted to put his arm around his sisters' shoulders and foster the idea he knew was in the redhead's mind, but he also knew his sister would hex him for it.

"Hermione, Nott," Harry greeted in an effort to cut off Ron's ranting. "How are you doing?"

Hermione gave her friend a wide smile for his asking. "I've been better but I've been worse," she said.

Theo pulled a piece of thin metal from his pocket that looked a lot like a credit card, staring at one side of it. "As much fun as this conversation is, Hermione and I have to go; prior engagement and all."

"How do you know they're ready?" she asked before Harry or Ron could cut in. Theo handed her his piece of silver. The words, 'Come back to the office,' were scrawled across it in elegant script. "Protean Charm?" she asked. He responded with a nod.

"Ron, Harry," she addressed her two best friends, "We really must get going, but I promise that the next time I see you I'll explain everything."

"You'll be coming to the Burrow in a couple weeks, won't you?" Ron inquired, his eyes darting between Hermione and Theo.

"I- I don't know. I doubt I'll be allowed-"

"No, you won't. I'm sure you can visit, but there's no way they'll let you stay anywhere other than the cottage. We have to go now," Theo interrupted.

"Oh. Okay. Well, I'll try to get over soon. You two behave yourselves now," she said, giving Harry a large hug before moving to Ron, who stepped out of her embrace. Hermione's face turned into a pained expression, but it was quickly gone as she turned to Theo and the two started walking away, him leading her into a nearby alley as her friends watched them leave.

"Apparate! But we can't Apparate! Neither of us are registered!" she exclaimed when he informed her of how they were going to get back.

"Speak for yourself. I took my test this morning and passed with flying colours." She stood there, dumbfounded, as he took her hand, lacing their fingers together. An uncomfortable moment later, they were in the hallway right outside the door to the room where the meeting was taking place.

They walked into the room and saw that all of the adults seemed content, like they had come to a mutually beneficial agreement. "I'm sorry it took so long," Theo apologized at the hard look from their parents. "We ran into a couple of Hermione's friends." The explanation was accepted and the two teens sat back down in their chairs, Hermione's face curious, Theo's betraying no emotion.

Mr. Fry cleared his throat. "We believe that we have worked out an agreement that will suit everyone. Miss Granger, you will change your surname to Nott but you do not have to deny the Grangers' hand in raising you. You will be allowed to visit them six separate days during the remainder of the summer holiday, and one day of every school holiday in the upcoming year. After you leave school, it will be up to you how much time you spend with them, but Nott Cottage will be your primary residence."

"What if I want to live on my own?"

"Hermione, I'm sorry, but that won't be possible. I don't know about the Muggle world, but in the wizarding world, it isn't acceptable for a young woman to live outside of her family home until she is married," Caoilinn said in a soothing voice.

Hermione narrowed her eyebrows. She had a feeling that they would never budge on that, so she tried a new tactic. "What if I wanted to live on my own, but with Theo as a flatmate? He's my family, and therefore it would be considered a family home."

"We'll talk about it when the time comes," Brisco answered with quiet authority.

"Is there anything more to this contract?" she asked Mr. Fry, turning back to him, choosing her battles.

"Yes. Once you are relocated to Nott Cottage, you will join the proper social circles for a woman of your age. That is all."

Hermione sighed. "I suppose that is acceptable," she responded before reaching over to sign the parchment. As soon as she did, a warm red glow surrounded both the contract and herself, binding her to it. Once she had signed it, all four of her parents followed, the glow encircling them as well.

"I will leave you to your personal business. It was nice to work with you all today," Mr. Fry said before shaking everyone's hand in farewell, leaving the six of them in the room.

Once everyone was out of their seats, Hermione glanced back to the Granger's and walked forward to the Nott's. Caoilinn immediately pulled her into a hug. Not knowing how to react, Hermione hesitantly patted the woman on the back. When she was let go, she was immediately swept into the arms of Brisco, her eyes wide and surprised as Theo watched on in amusement.

Once the hugging was finished, Brisco took command. "Hermione, you will be permitted to go back to the Granger's home with them so you can utilize the driving time for your farewells. Theo and I will be waiting for you there to help pack your belongings. Once we are through there, we will Apparate home and you can settle in and get acclimated."

"I'm sorry, Brisco," Hermione said. It had been decided that in a private setting she would be allowed to call her birth parents by their first names until she was comfortable calling them Mother and Father, or Mum and Dad, as she was to always refer to them in public.

"I can't go with that timetable. I'm sorry, Mum, Dad," she addressed the Grangers, "but I can't drive home with you, it will take too long. I have to pack and everything, but I think I'm going to have to Apparate there and have it done before you get home. We ran into Harry and Ron, and I didn't get a chance to explain anything to them before we had to come back. If I don't do it tonight, I don't know what Ron will do, you know how bad his temper can get, and I don't want to fight with them, not now when everything else is already so stressful."

Turning back to the Nott's, she continued. "I have to go to Harry's. He lives with his godfather now, so I can Apparate straight there. Then I can come back to the cottage when I'm through talking to them. And, well," she said, her voice watery as she once again looked at the parents who raised her, "we've pretty much been saying good-bye for the last two days, and if I go with you, I'm going to start crying, and I don't think I'll be able to stop. But I will see you soon."

Brisco looked at her sternly while Caoilinn seemed sad. "I don't think so. You can see your friends next week once you are settled in."

"Okay," Hermione responded, taking a deep breath. "Apparently I haven't explained myself properly. I WILL be going to pack my things and then I WILL be going to Harry's and I WILL come back to the cottage when I am through. I am not asking permission. Since today seems to be my birthday and I am now seventeen, thanks for the birthday wishes by the way, you can't stop me.

"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley are my best mates, and you being my parents aren't going to stop that. It may put a wrench in the works since I haven't physically been able to tell them, but I need to see them tonight."

"Fine," Brisco relented. "But you are taking Theo with you and we will talk about what you will be allowed to dictate and what you won't when you get home. This is a one-time deal. I cannot allow you to go gallivanting off whenever you feel like it, it wouldn't be appropriate for a witch of your status and age."

"Fine," Hermione echoed, her voice as steely as Brisco's had been. She then turned back to the Grangers to say her farewells.


	4. Chapter 4 The Elf

a/n Oh, I forgot to mention before the reasons for this fic being rated m... there is one incident of violence, and in the later chapters, there is lemonness.

**The Elf**

Theo Apparated Hermione to the Granger's after she told him the address. She led him into the house and he followed her up to her room, taking in all of the details of the Muggle home his sister had grown up in. It was overflowing with unmoving photographs of the family and he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty that his parents were taking her away from them as well as the only home she had ever known.

In her room, he was amazed to see how girly it was. Soon, however, she noticed him staring at the pink wallpaper and ballet border. "I haven't had the decor changed since I was ten," she explained. "I didn't really see the point, considering how little time I spent here. In the last few years, most of my holidays have been spent with Harry and Ron."

He nodded his understanding and she sent him to her bookshelf to start Shrinking her things. By the time the two had all of her clothes and memorabilia packed into a four-piece matching luggage set (pink with blue ponies), over an hour had gone by.

"Lammy!" Theo called out. Hermione gave him a funny look but before she could question him, a young looking house-elf appeared wearing a floral pillowcase.

"Master Theodore called Lammy?" the small elf asked, looking to her master adoringly.

"Yes, Lammy. I would like you to meet Miss Hermione. She is going to be your mistress from now on, and she needs you to bring her luggage back to her rooms at the cottage."

"Yes, Master Theodore. Nice meeting yous, Miss Hermione," the elf greeted Hermione with a small curtsy. Hermione stared at the elf, her face a mask of horror.

Finally, Theo cleared his throat and pulled Hermione from her stupor. She knelt down so she was at the same level as the elf. "It's nice to meet you, too, Lammy. You know, you don't really have to bring my things over; I can do it myself."

Lammy's eyes became wide as saucers, brimming with tears. "Miss doesn't like Lammy? Lammy wants to help Miss but Miss says no!"

Theo was staring at Hermione incredulously. He had heard of Hermione's plight for the house-elves, but he hadn't thought much of it. "Um, Hermione, you really should let her bring your things over before she has a heart attack. She's never been rejected before."

Hermione looked up in surprise and confusion. "I'm not rejecting her, but why should I make her do something that I can easily do myself?"

"Because that's what she does. Hermione, I've heard how you want to free the elves, but they don't want to be free."

Overhearing Theo through her mutterings and pulling her ears, Lammy looked up to Hermione, scared. She sat down on her haunches and started rocking back and forth, shaking her head. "No, Miss, no free Lammy. Lammy be good, no free Lammy."

Hermione looked up at Theo, afraid of the elf's reaction. Dobby had been so happy to be free, she couldn't imagine why the idea was so horrible to Lammy. "Hermione, you have to order her to bring your things to the cottage. Please, or she'll be there freaking out all night."

Hermione nodded as she turned back to the elf, touching it's arm soothingly. "It's all right Lammy, I'm not unhappy with you. Can you please bring my bags to my room at the cottage for me? I would really appreciate it."

Lammy looked up to Hermione, her overlarge eyes red with tears. "Miss wants Lammy to bring Miss' things home for her?" When Hermione nodded, Lammy immediately stood up and snapped her fingers, both the luggage and the elf disappearing.

"What's wrong with her?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing's wrong with her. Hermione, house-elves want to work for their masters, it makes them happy. It really all just depends on how you treat them. I know there are some families who beat their elves and mistreat them, but we are not one of those families. You will have to get used to it because it's not going to change. In fact, Lammy is your own personal house-elf. She's been waiting for you, and you hurt her feelings by not wanting her help."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt her feelings."

"I know you didn't. Now, let's go before the Grangers come home and you have another big goodbye. How were you planning on Apparating around everywhere when you refuse to do it without a license?"

"I knew that Brisco would make you come with me, what with me being a flight risk and all. Sorry for counting you into the equation, though. You probably had better things to do."

"No, not really," he smiled. "I had been informed to keep my calendar clear all this week to help you acclimate to living with us."

"That's presumptuous."

"No, that's Dad. Now let's go. Where are we going?"

"Oh, shit," Hermione cursed. "They're probably going to kill me for bringing you. Sirius' house is Unplottable. Until a couple of weeks ago, it was under Fidelius as well, but he took it off when the war ended and he got his Ministry pardon."

"Sirius Black?"

"Yeah. He's Harry's godfather. They live at number 12 Grimmauld Place in London." With that information, Theo once again entwined their fingers together and they disappeared.

Arriving at Grimmauld Place, they climbed the stairs, fingers still entwined for support as Hermione knocked on the door. A minute later, it was opened by Sirius himself. He grinned at seeing Hermione, but his look became suspicious when he saw an unknown boy holding her hand.

Seeing where his gaze was, Hermione dropped Theo's hand. "Hello, Sirius," she greeted him.

"Hello, Hermione. What brings you and your friend here?"

"I have to talk to Harry and Ron. Sirius, this is Theo Nott, Theo, this is Sirius Black," she introduced. Sirius and Theo shook hands, though Sirius seemed to be sizing the boy up.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Black," Theo greeted.

"You, too, Mr. Nott," Sirius replied, keeping his manners. "Come on in, you two. HARRY! You have company!" Sirius shouted into the house as he led Hermione and Theo into the lounge.

When Harry entered the room, he looked shocked to see the duo waiting for him on the sofa. "Hermione, Nott. I wasn't expecting you so soon," he said, his eyes boring into those of his friend.

"I know, but I wanted to tell you everything as soon as I could. Is there any way we can get Ron over here as well?"

"Yeah, I can Floo him. If you came here to talk to me and Ron, why are you still with Nott?"

Before Hermione could come up with an answer that wouldn't give anything away, Theo answered for her. "I'm acting as her bodyguard at the moment. Also, I factor into the story she's going to tell you and I have information that she doesn't."

Harry nodded his head in acceptance, though he still thought that the connection between the two was romantic and he didn't understand how it would have happened. Going over to the fireplace, he grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and stuck his head into the green flames. Less than two minutes later, Ron was standing in the room, his robes being Scourigified by Hermione, who never left the sofa.

Ron's face started turning a deep red at the sight of Theo, but Hermione nipped his explosion in the bud by ordering her two friends to sit down and listen to her. Over the next hour, she and Theo told her story and why she hadn't been able to tell them about it in the past.

Harry and Ron were upset that they had had no idea about any of it, but they understood why they hadn't. They were also no longer upset about Theo's presence, though they were not above threatening him with things that could occur around and to him if anything should happen to their friend.

When Hermione and Theo left Grimmauld Place, a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders that she hadn't even realized she was carrying. She was just so relieved that her friends knew everything now, and that they still accepted her for who she was. She had never doubted Harry, but she had assumed that Ron would have been more upset.

While they had both started off upset, Theo's explanation about how his family had wanted nothing to do with the Dark Lord set them at ease. They were not going to do anything to go against him and cause their own deaths, and both boys understood. Due to the fact that Hermione had been given away for this reason, they took the words at face value rather then under speculation as they would have under any other circumstances. Now all she had to worry about was moving in with her birth family and getting to know her parents and brother better.


	5. Chapter 5 The Homecoming

a/n link to the picture the outside of the cottage is based on: . thanks go to Mistress Malfoy for finding the photo for me... i had passed it, thinking it wouldn't be so great, but it's the best, lol. This chapter is kind of longer than the others due to the descriptions of the house and grounds as Hermione receives her tour.

**The Homecoming**

Hermione and Theo arrived back to Nott Cottage around nine-thirty that night, Apparating directly into the house, the wards having been set to only allow direct access to close blood relatives. The room they appeared in seemed to be a library, with their parents sitting in comfortable chairs, each reading a book.

At the sound of Apparition, they looked up and smiled to see both of their children in their home for the first time. Brisco motioned for them to be seated and they each settled down in their own comfortable chair.

Brisco stood up, pacing the floor between the chairs. "Hermione, I know that it's probably a lot for you right now to have to get used to, changing houses and now having to get to know us, and us getting to know you, but living in this house comes with certain rules of behaviour.

"Your mother thinks that we should give you some time, and be lenient on you. I disagree. If we want you to settle in as completely and quickly as possible, you must learn the rules right away.

"First, dinner is in the dining room, formal dress, every night at six-thirty unless you have previously approved plans or are too sick.

"Second, if you want to invite friends over, you must first have permission. If they are here over dinner, they will be joining us and will not be exempt from the formal dress rule. Neither of you are allowed to close the door to your bedroom if you are there with a member of the opposite sex.

"You are now of age and we will not stop your comings and goings, but you must let us know when and where you are going and when you expect to return. You and Theo each have a curfew of one in the morning. This isn't because we don't trust either of you, but because we don't want you to be coming in at all hours of the night and disrupting other people's sleep. If your plans change, you are to write these changes on this card, which you are to have on you at all times," he said, handing her a small silver card identical to Theo's.

"You will sleep here, at home, every night. If you stay anywhere else, it will be with permission after your mother or I have spoken to the parents of whomever you intend on staying with. Neither of you will ever be allowed to stay over the home of a member of the opposite sex unless their parents assure us that you will be in separate bedrooms. Do you have any questions?"

"No, sir, not at the moment," she replied. Brisco seemed like a strict man who liked to be in control, but even if some of the rules were annoying, like dressing for dinner, she could see why most of them existed, even if they were tighter rules than what she was used to. She had a feeling that her extended stays at Grimmauld Place and the Burrow were a thing of the past.

Brisco nodded his head and gave her a smile that she had seen many times on her own face. "Good. If you think of anything, we will always be available to answer your questions. I'll assume that after the day you've had, you must be rather tired. Your mother will show you to your rooms, and tomorrow you will have the full tour of the cottage."

It wasn't until he said this that Hermione realised just how tired she really was. It had been a trying, emotional day and she couldn't wait to go to sleep. She stood up from her chair, facing her father. "Thank you, Brisco; good night. Good night, Theo. I'll see you both in the morning. Do I have to be up by any particular time?"

"Not tomorrow, no," Caoilinn responded, standing up from her own chair.

"Good," Hermione sighed, relieved, following Caoilinn from the library. They walked down a short hallway to a set of staircases, one going up and one going down. She was led down the stairs to another level of the house.

There was a hallway that bisected the floor, a window on either side, but no doors leading to the outside. In fact, there were only two doors, one on either side of the hall directly across from each other. Caoilinn opened the door on the right side of the hall and entered the room, Hermione following her in.

"This is your room. Well, rooms. This is obviously your bedroom, if you don't like the decor we can always change it. The door to the right leads to your dressing room and the door to the left leads to your bathroom. All of your things have been moved in but are still waiting in your luggage for you to decide where you want them. If you need anything, you can call Lammy, she's your house-elf. We really are happy to have you back, Hermione."

After that, Caoilinn pulled Hermione into another hug, this one slightly less awkward than their first, before smoothing back Hermione's hair, kissing her temple lightly and leaving the room.

Hermione looked around. The room was large- at least two of her old bedrooms would easily fit in it. It was sparse, with only a queen-sized sleigh bed, a trunk at the end of the bed, and a large white vanity that matched the bed. There were three large windows along the far wall, each looking out into the night sky.

Opening up the door to the dressing room, she expected to find a cupboard. Instead, she found a full-sized room, shelves lining one wall and bars to hang clothes lining the other. The wall with the door had cubicles to hold shoes and handbags, the fourth wall consisting of a bay window, the wall space one big mirror, as well as a three way mirror in the corner. She didn't even have enough clothes to fill an eighth of the room.

The bathroom was also large, with plenty of floor space and a deep claw-foot tub, as well as the toilet and a pedestal sink. Her personal rooms were as large as the entire first floor of her old house.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face she dazedly left the bathroom and went back to the bedroom, where she took out a nightgown from her luggage, Unshrunk it, and changed into it, dropping her dirty clothes into the laundry basket in the dressing room. She tucked herself into bed, the sheets cool and crisp around her, and fell asleep right away, too tired to stay awake and contemplate the day.

The next morning, Hermione woke up at a little after eight, having slept for almost nine hours in a deep sleep. Once she was showered, dressed, and ready for the day, she realised that she had no idea where the kitchen was.

"Lammy?" she called out tentatively. Lammy appeared about a meter in front of her, overjoyed that her mistress had called her.

"Miss Hermione called for Lammy?" the elf asked giddily.

"Yes, Lammy. I don't know where anything in this house is yet. Can you take me to wherever it is that everyone eats breakfast?"

"Yes, Miss Hermione," Lammy responded, taking Hermione's hand and winking them into the dining room. Hermione had been thinking more along the lines of the elf leading her so she learned her way, but this worked as well.

"Thank you, Lammy," she told the elf.

"Is there anything else Miss likes?"

"No thank you, Lammy," Hermione responded before the elf 'popped' away with a curtsy. Turning into the room, she saw that there was a plethora of breakfast foods on the sideboard, kept warm with a charm.

After filling her plate, she sat down to eat, contemplating her new situation. Just as she was finishing off her food, Caoilinn came into the room wearing flowy white summer robes. "You're up early," she commented with a smile as she watched her daughter take her last bite.

"Actually, I'm up late, I was so tired," Hermione replied, returning the smile. "Where do I put my plate?"

Caoilinn's eyebrow had quirked that it was late for Hermione, being used to her son, who would sleep until three in the afternoon if he could. "Back on the sideboard there's a place for the used dishes. An elf will take it away in a few minutes."

"How many elves are there here?" Hermione asked as she put her plate where her mother had said.

"Four. One that is a personal elf to each of us, should we need assistance, but they work together most of the time to ensure the upkeep of the house and the grounds, though I take care of the front garden myself. We live in the country on a large piece of land, but I'd rather be safe in case of passing Muggles. Plus, I rather enjoy it," she added with a grin.

Hermione was beginning to warm to the woman. At least she didn't make the elves do everything, though she had a feeling that the elves would be very happy to do it, given the response Lammy had when Hermione had said she could bring her own bags over.

"Now that you've eaten, how would you like a tour of the grounds and the cottage?" Caoilinn asked.

"I would love that," Hermione breathed, anxious to see everything about her new home.

"I think we'll start from the very edge of the property, so you can have a proper view of the cottage first," Caoilinn pondered, tapping her finger against her lips. "Yes, that's what we'll do," she decided, her voice stronger.

She came over to Hermione and took her hand, Apparating the two of them just outside the wards of the property, into a small clearing of trees. This was the designated Apparating spot for the home and had wards around it to keep Muggles away.

As they cleared the trees they came to the beginning of a long walkway. Strolling down the walkway, she could see that the grounds were rather large, though there was a tall stone fence flanking one side of the walkway, the other open to a large grassy field. There were sporadically placed trees in the field, a couple with white wrought iron benches underneath, and small, contained gardens of wildflowers.

They turned a corner, and the cottage came into view. The side of the walkway without a fence turned into a stream that crossed under the walkway after passing by the front of the cottage. The fence stopped to let the stream pass before starting back up, giving Hermione a glimpse into the back gardens, which seemed to be much more formal than the front.

She stopped in her tracks, staring at the small cottage. It was the most beautiful house she had ever seen. The stone fence went right to the front left corner of the house, where it was covered in ivy and other greenery. The stone cottage looked to be two levels with multi-paned windows and a steep thatch roof that was scalloped so the roof went even lower than the tops of the first-story windows. There was also a thatch roof over the front door.

The front of the cottage, to the left of the door, was a very small garden that looked to be in a state of organized chaos, the beautiful plants covering the front of the entire ground story, window boxes under the windows of the first story.

Caoilinn smiled at her daughter and the enraptured look on her face. Yes, this had been the right way to start the tour, with the sky blue and the sun shining. "What do you think?" she asked softly.

"What do I think? It's absolutely stunning. It looks much smaller than it feels on the inside, though." Caoilinn gave her an enigmatic smile and started walking toward the front door.

They walked into the front and found themselves in a closed foyer with a door on each wall. The door to the left opened to a large cloak room, the one on the right led to a set of staircases, one leading up and the other leading down. The door on the opposite wall, though, led to a large ballroom- the likes of which Hermione had never seen. It seemed she was to be stunned into silence at every stop of the tour before regaining her voice and asking questions about each room.

After leaving the ballroom, they went up the stairs and came to a hallway that once again bisected the floor, a window at either end. This hallway, though, contained eight doors, four on either side. Each side of the floor contained one bathroom and three guest rooms of varying opulence.

Down two flights of stairs they came to the first subterranean level, the windows charmed to be streaming out light as they showed the exact view the windows would have held were they on the top floor. This level held the kitchen, the lounge, the dining room, and the elves' quarters.

The second underground level held the library Theo had brought her into the night before, as well as Brisco's study and the master suite.

The third underground level was the floor that contained Hermione and Theo's rooms. The fourth and last underground level was the same as the third, the Nott family only having had up to four children at one time and never needing more rooms in the family levels.

By the end of the tour, Hermione had become thoroughly enraptured by her new home. She loved that from the outside, though the grounds were large, it looked like a quaint but quiet and unassuming cottage, only to be as grand, or even more so, than the homes of many of their pureblood counterparts.


	6. Chapter 6 The Outing

**The Outing**

The tour had taken a full two hours, ending in the back gardens, which, as expected, were more formal than the front gardens. There was also a greenhouse and a carriage house with a white gravel driveway that meandered through the gardens, fitting in with the pathways and making its way to the road, the fence stopping and being replaced by a black wrought iron gate.

The next two hours Hermione spent unpacking her suitcases. Her judgement had been right and her clothes barely filled the smallest portion of her dressing room. Having nowhere to put any of her books or pictures, she left them all in her suitcases.

She was almost finished hanging up the last few pieces of clothing when Caoilinn appeared in the doorway. "You barely have any robes, everything in here is Muggle," she observed, scaring Hermione, who hadn't noticed that she was no longer alone.

"I haven't had much reason to have a lot of robes. I have my school robes, and a couple dress robes, but I've never really needed more," she explained, her heart slowing down.

"That settles it. Be ready in one hour, we're taking a trip to Diagon Alley. Do any of these dress robes fit you?" she asked, looking at the blue one from the Yule Ball.

"Ummm... yes," Hermione answered, thinking as she went through the small grouping. "This purple one fits," she responded, pulling the robe in question off the rack still on its hanger.

"That will never do. You'll be far too hot in those, they are clearly winter robes," her mother tut-tutted. "We'll have to get you a few sets off the rack and have the rest sent over."

"If you say so," Hermione responded, knowing nothing about the ins and outs of having clothes tailor-made. "I think I will have to have my room redone as well. Or at least a couple of bookshelves put in if it's not too much of an inconvenience."

"Of course it's not an inconvenience. You get ready to go shopping and I'll contact the decorator and set up an appointment. Be in the foyer in an hour."

"Yes, Caoilinn, I'll be there," she affirmed, already feeling slight angst over the trip. She was never one for shopping and she had a feeling there would be a lot of fussing involved. She went to the dining room, where lunch was set out, and ate before going back to her room and changing for the outing.

She decided that though they were shopping for robes, and Caoilinn would probably prefer that she be wearing robes, even if they were casual, she would wear Muggle clothes, having far more of them. In the end, she put on a past-the-knee white spaghetti strap dress with small roses scattered throughout and white strappy sandals, pulling her hair up into a messy bun that looked elegant rather than rushed.

She was leaving the room when Theo's door opened for the first time that day; he came out fully showered and dressed. "You look nice. What's the occasion?" he asked. She rolled her eyes at him and he felt the need to respond. "What? Just because we don't run in the same circles doesn't mean that I never noticed you... especially since I did know you were my sister. I know you're not really one for dressing up."

"Thanks, then, I guess," she responded, shocked to learn he had been paying her attention. "Caoilinn saw my wardrobe, or lack thereof, and has decided that we absolutely must go shopping," she said with a look of distaste on her face.

"Better you than me," Theo laughed. "Have you had a tour of the place yet?"

"Yes, it's the most beautiful house I have ever seen," she responded.

"I've never thought about it, really, having grown up here, but it is very pretty," he said as they made their way to the staircase together. They continued talking until he left for the dining room and she continued up to the foyer.

Once there, Caoilinn eyed her critically. Muggle clothes, but she had seen the girl's wardrobe, it couldn't be helped. Hair and makeup were both nice. She smiled to Hermione, pleased with the end result. "You look very nice, Hermione. The appointment with the interior decorator is in two days at three. Now let's be off, I've already informed your father, but we will be home with plenty of time left before dinner."

Hermione nodded her head in response, not knowing what to say. Caoilinn took her hand and Apparated them to Diagon Alley, right outside Madame Malkin's. "I think that tomorrow we will stop at the Ministry and get you an Apparition license. I assume you are efficient at Apparating?"

"Yes, Mother," Hermione answered, remembering her 'public' rules. "That would be wonderful." Caoilinn smiled warmly to her daughter as they made their way into the shop.

They stepped over the threshold, and a bell tinkled to signal the new customer. Momentarily a witch came out of the back room, a measuring tape slung around her neck. "Hello, Mrs. Nott," she greeted, recognizing one of her upper society patrons. "To what do we owe the honour of this visit today?"

"Madame Malkin," Caoilinn returned the greeting warmly. "My daughter, Hermione, has finally come home to us, and the majority of her wardrobe is Muggle."

Madame Malkin took a better look at the girl who had been standing near Mrs. Nott. "Your daughter is Hermione Granger?" she asked, amazed. Hermione's cheeks started to tinge pink at the attention, expecting the situation to only get worse.

"Yes, though she is now Hermione Nott," Caoilinn said. She knew that by telling the shop clerk that word would soon get around, but she would rather it become common knowledge in the most benign way, and she considered gossip far better than on the front page of the Prophet.

"Of course. Let's go to the back room to measure you, Miss Nott, then we can get started on your clothing problem."

Hermione looked to her mother, who nodded her head and followed as Madame Malkin took Hermione by the shoulders and led her to a stool in the middle of a small room. Hermione had been fitted here before, but never by the owner herself, and never in such a private room.

The witch poked and prodded Hermione all over to get her exact measurements and Hermione was relieved when she was finally allowed to step down from the stool and sit on the nice sofa her mother had been watching from.

Hermione was left out of the conversation as the two older witches decided what Hermione would be needing and what styles she would be wearing. In the end, her mother had ordered ten sets of dress robes, all for the summer and the fall, three sets of school robes in a higher quality fabric than the ones Hermione currently had, and five sets of casual robes, assuming that Hermione would end up wearing her Muggle clothes when at the cottage. They left the store with another two sets of each type of robe so she had something she could wear before the others arrived.

They had spent nearly two and a half hours in the clothing shop and it was already almost three. Hermione just hoped that she wouldn't have to go through that again for a while. She never cared much for shopping, and even though she had to be fitted, she was still happy that she had not had to try everything on and that it would all be sent to the cottage.


	7. Chapter 7 The Tea part 1

**The Tea (part 1)**

Three days later, Hermione was starting to get in the groove of the routines at Nott Cottage. She would wake early and eat breakfast with her parents before Brisco went to work at the Ministry as an Unspeakable. Having escaped capture the night of the fiasco at the Ministry over a year ago, he had never lost his job, and certainly hadn't been sent to Azkaban, where the others were still locked up.

Her mother would go tend to her greenhouse, where she grew rare herbs and plants, selling them for a high price to apothecaries throughout Great Britain. Caoilinn would finish and shower before lunch, which was usually spent with Hermione, though Theo had been up and joined them the day before.

After lunch, Hermione would work on homework, read, or talk to Caoilinn or Theo, learning as much about her family and family history as she could. She wrote letters to her friends, telling them about Nott Cottage, and letters to the Grangers, saying that she missed them but she was getting along well.

Brisco would come home around five, but she wouldn't see him until dinner. After dinner, the four of them would relax in the library and talk or read, and Theo would try to coax her into a game of Wizard's chess.

Today, though, was Hermione's first foray into the pureblood social world. She and her mother were going to tea. At the Parkinson's. To say she was dreading it would be an understatement, though her mother tried to assure her that everything would go fine. Theo just smiled at her in sympathy.

While the women would get together for tea every second and fourth Saturday of the month, the men would get together every first and third Saturday for drinks and cigars. At either social grouping, children were allowed to attend starting the summer before their sixth year at Hogwarts.

While families such as the Weasleys looked at these get-togethers as pompous and unnecessary, others looked at it as making contacts and helping their futures. Like in the Muggle world, it was often about who you knew rather than what you could do. When the two happened to coincide, all the better. On 'Tea Saturdays,' dinner was served at seven, while on 'Brandy Saturdays' it was served at five to accommodate the family's social engagements.

At quarter past three, Caoilinn came to Hermione's room to inspect her. She was wearing ankle-length, cream-coloured, light robes that clung snugly to her bosom and waist, flaring out at the hips. The neckline was cut into a scalloped boatneck and the sleeves were small bits of fabric that floated out from the shoulders. She had three sets just like this one, only in different colours. She was wearing matching sandals, her toenails as well as her fingernails done up.

Her necklace and earrings were a matching pearl set she had received from the Granger's as a sweet sixteen present. Her hair was loosely pulled up, held at the crown of her head with two pearl encrusted barrettes and falling so the semi-controlled curls just hit her back. She had only enough makeup on to enhance her features rather than distract. Caoilinn nodded her head in approval. "You will make a stunning first impression," she remarked.

"Thanks," Hermione responded, unsure of herself. Ten minutes later they were walking up the sedate paths to the imposing structure of Parkinson Manor. It wasn't the least bit homey the way Nott Cottage was. It stood straight up out of low earth, the stones dark, gargoyles and stone lions roaming the edifice, staring at everyone who passed in an intimidating manner.

Hermione shuddered at the feeling of unwelcome, attracting Caoilinn's attention. "You have nothing to worry about from the guardians to the manor. They will never attack a pureblood unless that person is bringing harm to a member of the Parkinson family on their land. Had you really been Muggle-born, it wouldn't have been wise to even think of stepping foot on the property," Caoilinn told Hermione, letting the sentence die off.

Caoilinn rapped the overlarge knocker on the front door and it opened immediately, a small house-elf standing off to the side. "Hello. Tizzy bring misses to drawing room. Come with Tizzy, misses." They followed the elf down a large hall to the fourth door on the right, entering an airy, bright room that seemed out of place after seeing the outside of the manor.

There were five circular tables with five chairs each, each setting having a placard of who would be seated where. At every gathering there were a core group of women, but each time there were different influential women attending, to socialize and to see the young blood and get a feel for them.

They glided into the room, Hermione trying to imitate her mother's countenance. Barely four seconds passed before a pug faced woman in elegant robes appeared before them, a beguiling smile on her lips. "It's wonderful to see you, Caoilinn," the woman said, the two women kissing each others cheeks. "And this must be Hermione," she said, turning to look Hermione over.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Parkinson," Hermione responded with a smile in her voice that she didn't really feel. She felt she should comment on the house, but frankly it scared her and she wasn't sure anything she'd say would come out as a compliment.

"Charming," Mrs. Parkinson cooed, pulling Hermione close and kissing one of her cheeks. Apparently she had passed some sort of test, if the sidelong smile her mother gave her was anything to go by. The hostess linked their arms together and brought her into the room and Hermione sending a scared look to her mother, who smiled encouragingly at her.

Mrs. Parkinson led Hermione through the room, keeping up a constant stream of chatter not only to Hermione but to all of the women that they passed, each looking at Hermione curiously. They recognised her from the papers over the years, particularly from the end of spring when she had a hand in disposing of the tyrant known to them as the Dark Lord. Some had heard the gossip of her being a pureblood, but all had known her to be Muggle-born.

They stopped at the far most table, where Pansy sat with her Slytherin housemates, chatting. When they looked up and saw the new arrival, their mouths dropped simultaneously. "Granger?" Pansy asked incredulously.

Mrs. Parkinson opened her mouth to chastise her daughters' manners, but Hermione beat her to it. "I'm sorry, Pansy, but if you wouldn't mind calling me Hermione, I would appreciate it. If you can't, my surname is no longer Granger. I am now legally Hermione Nott instead of only by blood."

Pansy looked dumbfounded, though more than one of her friends had the hint of a smirk on the edges of their lips. Mrs. Parkinson looked from one girl to another before nodding her head and leaving to converse with her guests.


	8. Chapter 8 The Tea part 2

**The Tea (part 2)**

Once Mrs. Parkinson was occupied elsewhere, Pansy's eyes narrowed on Hermione. "Nott? You can't be serious. You are a Mudblood; always have been and always will be."

"I doubt your gargoyles would agree. After all, I am still alive," Hermione responded, sitting down demurely next to Daphne Greengrass.

Pansy glared at Hermione as she realized the truth of her words. "Fine, say I believe you. Why didn't the Nott's raise you? Weren't you _good enough _for them?"

"I am not going to answer that; not only because of your condescending attitude, but because I have no idea what my parents intend to make public on the matter." Pansy glowered at her, but her companions looked at her with respect. None of them would willingly divulge their family secrets either.

"Look, Pansy," Hermione sighed. "I'm not asking you to like me. I'm certainly not asking you to be friends with me. Rest assured that I feel the same way about you as you feel about me. I am asking that we be civil to each other if only for the public's sake." They stared into each others eyes for almost a full minute before Pansy nodded her head in agreement. Soon after, the conversation went back to gossip on everyone's summers, Hermione feeling included in a group of girls for practically the first time in her life.

After about twenty minutes of socializing amongst her peers, Mrs. Parkinson stood in the centre of the room, clinking a glass with a spoon. "Tea time!" she called out. Oddly, the announcement seemed perfectly normal coming from the snobbish pureblood. Everyone in the room stood up from where they were seated and moved to another room, the setup identical to the room they had just left, confusing Hermione about the purpose of moving. In the new room, everyone found the spot with their name and sat down.

Hermione found herself seated next to her mother. On her other side was a regal looking woman with warm mahogany skin, slanted eyes, and a beautifully sculpted face, whom was introduced to her as Zarina Zabini, and asked that she only be called Zarina since she had been married so many times and hated to go by her from her sat Daphne and a woman who Hermione assumed to be her mother.

Zarina seemed to be particularly interested in Hermione, watching the young woman out of the corner of her eye. The group of women made small talk on the reforms that the new Minister for Magic was already pushing through mere weeks after gaining the position.

"I just don't know if Minister Shacklebolt can handle the position," Mrs. Greengrass was saying when Hermione cut her off, seeing red.

"Kingsley can handle anything that gets thrown at him. His position of Head Auror has amply provided the intelligence needed for the position that was thrust upon him and, unlike his two predecessors, he will not hide his head in the sand and pretend that by refusing to acknowledge what is happening in the wizarding world, the unpleasant issues will simply go away.

"Furthermore, he knew the situation as it presented itself and did not go into the position blind nor daft. Kingsley is a very astute man and he will do wonders for the wizarding world!"She didn't raise her voice, or even lean forward to seem intimidating, but she had attracted the attention of the tables surrounding her own through the sheer passion in her voice.

"You sound as though you know the Minister personally," Mrs. Greengrass responded, the tone of her own voice making it obvious that she thought the idea laughable.

"I've known Kingsley since I was fifteen," she reluctantly responded, flushing at the scene she had made, as well as having to admit to this group of gossip mongers that she knew the new Minister for Magic personally. She didn't know what had come over her to causeher to snap at Daphne's mum, but there was no way she would let anyone speak ill of someone she knew to be a good person.

The silence abated as the other tables started tittering about this new information, and even Caoilinn looked slightly shocked at the connections her daughter had made. It wasn't everyone who could say they personally knew the Minister for Magic.

"How does someone of your previous standing meet someone in such a high position?" Mrs. Greengrass sneered to her daughter's ultimate chagrin.

"You do remember that Harry Potter is my best friend?" she responded, the Minister's involvement in the Order of the Phoenix not being common knowledge.

Much to Hermione's relief, her mother chose that moment to change the subject in a most blatant way, the new topic of conversation being the current price of tea in China, where she had recently had to go to procure some herbs. Daphne took hold of the topic and ran with it, wishing her mother would give up her old prejudices, especially when they didn't even apply to the person in question.

Whenever there was a lull in whatever the most recent topic was at the moment, Zarina would find a way to ask both girls questions about school, such as their favourite subject and what they intended to do with themselves once they left Hogwarts. When tea time ended half an hour later, the woman had found their newest member to be bright, ambitious, and loyal; three qualities she very much approved of.

When the group stood back up and mingled again, Hermione stayed with Caoilinn while the week's guests of honour came by to meet her. By the time the women had made their rounds and Hermione had adequately impressed them, though more than one woman still looked at her as though she were unworthy to be there, Hermione was exhausted. It was hard to be sociable to such a group of self-important people who she didn't care one bit about. Her first genuine smile in hours came when Caoilinn said they could leave.

Arriving home, Hermione toppled onto her bed, glad to finally be free of all the airy socialites. She contemplated changing, but knowing she would just have to dress again for dinner in another hour, changed her mind and decided to keep on what she was wearing.

She was still sprawled across her bed when Theo knocked on the open door. "Have fun?" he asked, leaning against the door jam.

"Never more," she replied sarcastically, causing him to smirk at her.

"And to think, you still have to go to tea every other Saturday for the rest of the summer."

"Don't remind me," she groaned. "But at least Pansy and I have come to an understanding. Most everyone else seemed nice enough."

"Pansy? An understanding? This I must hear," he joked to her as he moved into the room and sat on a cushy sofa that had been bought when the interior decorator had come just days earlier.

"It's nothing. She just knows that I don't want to be sudden friends with her any more than she does with me. So, we're going to try and be civil to each other. No big deal."

"You got Pansy Parkinson to agree to be civil to you? Hermione, that is a big deal."

"Her mum was there, what was she going to do? Cause a scene? Besides, I'm sure she'll still be a right cow in private, the deal was just while we're in public."

"Still, though," he commented, shaking his head in amazement. "Pansy is only ever nice to three people consistently, and everyone else in Slytherin would fall under the category of 'civil.' The rest of the school falls under 'supreme bitch mode,' as I'm sure you well know."

"Oh, yes, I'm quite familiar with that Pansy," Hermione chuckled. "So, your week is up. Now that you're free to not have to hang out with your poor sister, what do you plan on doing with your time?" she asked jokingly.

"Blaise will be staying with us for the next week. Every summer he stays here one week and I stay with him for one week." Hermione knew that Blaise was Theo's best mate, having talked about their friends earlier in the week. Hermione had explained her friendship with Harry and Ron to him, and he had explained his with Blaise to her. He didn't really have any other extremely close friends, but there were a few people he was friendly with, much like her.

"I guess that would explain why his mother was so interested in me. I assumed it was because I'm still a novelty."

"Who knows," he responded, knowing full well why Zarina would care what Hermione was like. Before they could say anything else, each of them felt a warmth in their robes and pulled out their contact cards, which held reminders that dinner was in ten minutes. Theo left to change while Hermione went to the vanity mirror and retouched her hair before heading to the dining room.


	9. Chapter 9 The Interview

a/n…. thanks to the beta, Lupie, to everyone who has been reading, and especially to everyone who has been reviewing. I hope you all have a wonderous day!

**The Interview**

The next morning at breakfast, an owl arrived for Hermione. She opened it, sighing and rolling her eyes as she read the enclosed letter. It was from Rita Skeeter, requesting an interview for that day. Hermione handed the letter off to her parents to see what they thought about it.

Caoilinn made a disgusted noise as she read the request, knowing that Skeeter would write whatever she felt like, no matter what the truth was. Brisco was pretty much of the same mind, also remembering all of the slanderous stories they had read of their daughter that had been penned by the woman.

He had been surprised that Skeeter hadn't had much to say on the demise of the Dark Lord other than the same thing that everyone else had been writing at the time; no nasty comments or anything of the like, just an account from a witness of the Final Battle.

"What do you think, Hermione?" he asked, not knowing if she would even be willing to sit an interview with the woman.

"I might as well get it over with," she sighed. "I'm just surprised she didn't ask sooner, to tell you the truth."

"You have no problems with being interviewed by Ms. Skeeter?" Caoilinn asked, knowing how the woman worked.

"None whatsoever," Hermione replied, a mischievous look in her eyes. "She wants an interview as soon as possible. How about this morning? Caoilinn, would you mind sitting with us?"

"No, not at all," Caoilinn smiled, glad to be invited, since she planned on being there no matter what. There was no way she was going to leave Hermione and Skeeter alone.

Two hours later, Rita knocked on the front door and waited until a house-elf answered it. The lone reporter was led into Brisco's office, having been informed that she could not bring her photographer.

Hermione had taken pains to make everything perfect for Rita's arrival. Both she and Caoilinn were wearing fancy casual robes, her hair and make-up perfectly manicured. On Brisco's desk she had parchment and a Quick Quotes Quill of her own, that was charmed to only write exactly what was said. Next to the parchment was the glass jar she had kept the reporter in two summers before, greatly confusing the Nott matriarch.

Rita walked into the office to see Hermione sitting sublimely behind Brisco's overlarge desk, looking perfectly at home. Caoilinn was seated in a chair off to the side, near the small fireplace that could only be used for Floo calls, as it was too small for travelling.

Hermione stood up and slid around the desk, extending her hand to the blonde woman. "Ms. Skeeter, have you met my mother, Caoilinn Nott?" she asked, motioning to Caoilinn. The two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries as Hermione sat back behind the desk.

Rita sat in a chair in front of the desk and started to pull out her own parchment and quill when Hermione stopped her. "Ms. Skeeter, I am sure you are aware that there are... stipulations... to this interview. You will be using the parchment and quill that I have prepared for you," Hermione motioned to the desk, drawing Rita's eyes not only to the parchment, but her former habitat as well.

The reporter's eyes went wide for a moment before she quickly composed herself. "I understand," she replied, glancing back to Caoilinn, who looked slightly curious. "Can we start?"

"I'm ready when you are."

"Miss Granger-"

"Nott," Hermione interrupted.

Rita nodded, having been testing the girl to see whether or not she would be corrected, and how long it would take. "Miss Nott, how long have you known about your parentage?"

"Since the eighth, so eight days today."

"What was your reaction to learning that you were adopted and that you are not only a pureblood, but that you have a twin brother you had known since starting Hogwarts?"

"I have always known I was adopted. I was taken aback by their identities, but the shock wore off after I started to get to know them. I have never had issues with Theo. I'm sure you recall that he was never one to pass information or gossip along, unlike many of his Hogwarts house mates."

"If you have always known you were adopted, did you try to learn who your real parents were and why they didn't want you?"

"I did not try and learn who my birth parents were. No one ever said they didn't want me; and that will be the end of that line of questioning."

Rita looked put out for a moment, but continued on, never being one to give up control, or in the case of Hermione Nott, never again. "Were you put up for public adoption or were the Grangers chosen to be your guardians for any particular reason? Was it because they were Muggles?"

Hermione opened her mouth, but Caoilinn answered in her stead. "We knew who she was going to, and that they would take excellent care of her. They were chosen for a variety of reasons that you will never learn."

Rita was wishing dreadfully for her own quill, just to fill in the blanks, but one glance at the glass jar knocked the notion right out of her head. Truth be told, she was lucky to be the first person interviewing Hermione Nott since her introduction into pureblood society, even if it wasn't on her own terms.

"Hermione-Miss Nott," she amended at the look on the young woman's face. "You are well-known for being friends, and possibly more, with Harry Potter, the Saviour of the Wizarding World. How has he felt about the news that his Muggle-born best friend is really a pureblood?"

"Harry is my friend and has never been more, despite what you yourself have printed. He will stand behind me in anything I do, and with any changes in my life, as I will for him. It's what friends do."

"How is Harry doing after the fall of You-Know-Who? Has he-"

"I have answered the only question I intend to about my friends. This interview is about me and my family, not about them. If you have nothing else to ask, then Mipsy can show you out."

"I understand that you have personally known our new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, for almost two years now. What are your feelings on his new policies and where he is trying to take the wizarding world? Do they differ from the opinions of your family, and if so, how?" Rita asked in rapid succession.

"I have known Minister Shacklebolt for a couple of years, but you are not going to print that. Here is what you may print: I believe that he will do wonders for the Ministry and public morale in general. He cannot be bought and he stands firm in his beliefs, and that is something this country needs at the moment. I stand behind him one hundred percent and wish the best for him and everyone else working to make our world a better place to live."

"And the opinions of your family?"

"That would be for them to say, not me. Rita, I think we're done here, don't you?"

Rita narrowed her eyes. "I also want to interview your mother for her perspective on how she thinks the wizarding world is going to take this news. After all, Miss Nott, you are a well-known young woman and this will be big news."

Once again, before Hermione could protest, Caoilinn responded for her. "That would be fine, Ms. Skeeter, though you must realize that more than likely I will not be answering most of your questions."

Rita didn't answer, she just started in on her new barrage of questions, now facing Caoilinn. Fifteen minutes later, Rita was escorted off the property, Hermione quite happy that nothing would be printed she would be overly upset about. She knew Rita would still probably try and get in a dig or two, but she had greatly withheld the woman's quill.


	10. Chapter 10 The Talk

**The Talk**

After lunch, Hermione was sitting on one of the benches in the front garden, reading. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up to see what had caught her attention. It was Blaise Zabini, carrying a rucksack. She pulled out her contact card, scribbling the words, "Theo, Blaise is here."

When she put the card back in her pocket, she drew his attention to her, stopping him dead in his tracks as he stared at her. Hermione stood up with her book and walked towards him, smiling. Blaise had never fallen in with Malfoy, and he had never been anything other than nice to her during their scattered run-ins over the years.

She approached him, still standing there, his eyes dazed as he watched her. "Hello, Blaise," she greeted him with a smile.

"H-Hermione? What are you doing here?" he asked, looking around as if searching for some reasonable explanation.

Hermione laughed in response, a tinkling sound that sounded very much like her mother. "Theo hasn't told you?"

"Told me what?" he asked, seemingly recovered from the shock of seeing her, though for one who knew what to look for, there was a slight trepidation in his voice. Hermione had no clue.

"No, I think I'll let him tell you," she teased, starting to walk toward the cottage. He caught up to her within a couple steps. They were almost there when the front door opened and Theo came out. When he saw the duo, he smirked at them.

Theo put his arm over Hermione's shoulders, watching the darkening of his best mate's eyes. When Theo didn't say anything, opting to stand there smirking instead, Blaise did, his voice tight. "Why is Hermione Granger at your house, with your arm around her?"

"She lives here. Mum and Dad thought it best." Hermione could tell that her brother was toying with his friend, but for the life of her, couldn't understand why.

"Why is that?" Blaise demanded, his voice low.

"Blaise, let me introduce you to my sister, Hermione Nott."

"Sister?" This completely threw Blaise for a loop, his eyes flicking between the two.

"Twin sister to be exact," Hermione verified, "but he is half an hour older if you want to get technical." Blaise's eyes lightened considerably, but he was still staring daggers at Theo. Seeing a conversation going on between the two men's eyes, she excused herself.

"I'll leave you two alone. I have to go write to Harry anyway; Caoilinn said I could have him over tomorrow."

"Not Weasley?" Theo asked without malice.

"No. She said I could only have one person over and Ron sort of... well, his feelings for me lately have been more than friendly, I suppose you could say. I don't really want to do anything to feed into it, since he's like a brother to me. I'm sure once he and Lavender get back together he'll get over it. At least, I really hope he does," she responded.

"It was nice to meet you, Hermione _Nott_," Blaise said, his head cocked and a smile on his face as she started to turn toward the house.

"Blaise, it's not as though you've never met me before," she laughed, rolling her eyes as she went into the house and down the stairs to her room.

"She's your sister?!" Blaise questioned as soon as Hermione had disappeared. "How long have you known?" he said darkly at Theo's nod.

"Let's talk about this in my room," Theo answered, dodging the question. Blaise stared at him, his dark eyes penetrating through Theo, who stared right back. Blaise nodded gruffly and the two went down to Theo's room, hearing Hermione singing along with the newest Weird Sisters song in her room.

Blaise threw his rucksack on the floor, leaving it until they were done talking and he could have a chance to bring it up to the guest room he stayed in every year. He then sat on Theo's bed, still glaring at his friend. "How long have you known?" he repeated after Silencing the room.

"Forever." Before Blaise could say or do anything, Theo continued quickly, rambling his words together. "I promise, mate, I would have told you if I could have, but we were all under the magical protection of her adoption contract. The only people who could speak about it were ourselves and the barristers, and only to each other."

Theo then told Blaise the entire story, almost verbatim what had been told to Harry and Ron the previous week. "But you could have told me a week ago. You didn't have to wait until I saw her here," he accused, running his hand though the soft hair that curled down to his ears.

"No, I didn't. But you can't honestly tell me you wouldn't have done the same if the roles were reversed," Theo responded, a wicked grin on his face.

"You're right," Blaise said, smiling. "Just one more thing- why didn't you ever stop me from talking about her?"

"What are you on about? I stopped you all the time."

"When?"

"Every time you started to say anything remotely sexual about her. I can listen to you drone on all day about her or any girl you like. That, though, I didn't want to hear."

"And all this time I just thought you were being a prude," Blaise joked.

Theo threw his pillow, and it landed against his friends' head with a loud 'whack.'

"Go put your stuff away and I'll see you in a bit. I have to write an owl."

"Ohhhh, right. The beautiful Lilah Moon I presume?"

"Who else?"

"Have you gotten to see her since school let out?"

"Twice. It would be so much easier if she would just tell her parents about us. Then I could tell my parents and we wouldn't have to sneak around. At least, not to see each other."

"Why is it she doesn't want to tell them again?"

"Neither she nor Savannah are supposed to date anyone until they leave Hogwarts."

"But she just finished seventh year. I don't see a problem."

"I think it's more in admitting that we were dating while she was still at school than anything else."

"Ahhhhh," Blaise commiserated.

"Her plan is to say that we started dating after meeting up at the shop where she has a summer job."

"And since it's only the middle of June, she wants to wait a little longer."

"Exactly."

"Good luck with her dad when she tells them. I hear he makes your dad seem lax in comparison."

"That's what I'm worried about. Still, I think I can finagle seeing her at least once more before she tells her parents. Hopefully, after she tells them about us, we can see each other more often, even if it is supervised." The sneer on his face showed Blaise exactly what he thought of supervised time with his eighteen-year-old girlfriend.

"Can you get Hermione and Savannah to help you out? Her mum would have met Hermione yesterday at tea, and I'm sure her parents wouldn't be upset if their daughters wanted to help Hermione get used to socializing with other purebloods in 'the circle.'" Blaise suggested, referencing the nickname given to the core group of families who attended the Saturday get-togethers.

"You know, Blaise, that's a good idea. So, you go put your things away, I'll write about it to Lilah, and then we can go bug Hermione until she agrees, even though she'll probably say yes right away."

"Will do," Blaise responded, standing up and grabbing his rucksack before leaving the room.

end note: Moon is a canon last name that was sorted into an unknown house with an unknown first name the year Harry and co. started.


	11. Chapter 11 The Favour

**The Favour**

Theo and Blaise stood outside of Hermione's room, waiting for her to answer the door. After a few moments, it swung open, revealing her at her writing desk, scrawling on a piece of parchment. "Hello," she said, looking up.

"Hermione, my favourite sister," Theo said, making her laugh and roll her eyes.

"Already you want something from me? Give me a minute to finish writing and I'll be all yours." They sat on her sofa while she finished penning her letter and sent it off with the owl the Granger's had given her as a coming of age present; it had arrived on the day she had always celebrated her birthday. She had been touched and named it Maddygene after them.

"So, big brother, what do you need from me?" she asked with a smirk as she lightly shook her head in amusement.

"Let's go for a walk through the gardens and I'll explain the situation."

"Explain the situation, eh?" she said. Over the last week, she had found that teasing Theo was rather fun. Of course, he teased her back, and it was the first thing that made her really feel like they were brother and sister, not just two people living across the hall from one another.

"Come on," he responded, standing up and escorting her out of her room as Blaise followed behind, watching the interactions between the two. When they were safely in the gardens, away from the prying eyes and ears of house-elves, portraits, and their mother, Hermione walking between the two young men, Theo started talking.

"I've been dating Lilah Moon since New Years," he started.

"Good for you, Theo. I don't really know her, but she seems nice enough. You could have told me before now, you know."

"Thanks, I know I could have told you," he smiled and Blaise rolled his eyes. At least he wasn't the only one Theo wasn't telling important things to. "The problem, though, is that she isn't allowed to date until after leaving Hogwarts. And now that she has, she still wants to wait and tell her parents so she can make it look like we just started seeing each other this summer.

"I was hoping, if you and her sister Savannah both agree, that you could become friends with the two of them and give us a chance to see each other more."

"Theodore Nott! That is downright devious!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, one of my better ideas," Blaise interjected with a grin.

"Hopefully, sometime later today you will receive an owl from them, saying that they enjoyed getting to know you better at tea yesterday, and that they want to help you get used to our social circle from the point of view of a young woman, rather than me, or Mum and Dad."

Hermione walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, looking intently at her brother. "Theo, you do realize that I don't have a lot of friends, don't you?"

He nodded and sat next to her while Blaise sat on her other side, interested to hear where this was going.

"Neither do I, Hermione," he responded quietly.

She nodded in recognition of what he had said before continuing. "I don't become friends with people who I can't trust with my life. I know that if it came down to it, Harry and Ron would die for me, as I would for them. I know that usually that type of friendship takes a long time to develop, but I don't want to be friends with anyone I can't trust implicitly, even if it's just with something simple like an embarrassing secret I don't want everyone to know about.

"I'll do this for you, because you're my brother, but if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. I won't pretend to be someone's friend. If we all actually get along, then I suppose you get to see your girlfriend more and I'll have a couple of girls I can talk to, but I just want to be straight on that."

"Hermione, that is pretty much exactly why I have so few friends. I promise you that Lilah and Savannah are good people, otherwise I wouldn't be dating Lilah. But I'll agree to your terms. If you don't get along with them, we'll just come up with another way to see each other."

Theo leaned over to give his sister a hug just as an owl flew up to her. She took the parchment from its leg and apologised for not having any treats for it, though the owl seemed understanding.

She opened the parchment, read it, and started laughing. The letter said almost exactly what Theo had said, only also with an invitation to go to Hogsmeade the following day and an apology for the writer's mother. It was signed Daphne Greengrass.

The two boys looked at her, wondering what could be so funny until she handed the letter over to Theo so he could read it. When he started to chuckle as well, Blaise reached across Hermione and snatched it from his fingers.

"Do Lilah and Savannah get along with Daphne?"

"Yes, they're first cousins," Theo replied to Hermione's question.

"I have to go firecall Harry, Maddygene isn't back from delivering the letter I sent him. Do we need permission to make firecalls?" she asked, not having had the need for it since moving into Nott Cottage.

"No, but use the fireplace in the cloak room. It's more private."

She nodded as she stood up from the bench and made her way to the house. "Let us know how it goes!" Theo called after his sister's retreating form.

Once in the cloak room, she took some Floo Powder from an ornate pot on the mantle and threw it in the fire she had started before putting her head in the fire and calling out her destination.

She looked through the fire to see the lounge in Grimmauld Place. "Harry?" she called out. She called his name twice more before he arrived in front of the fire.

"Hey, Hermione. Is anything wrong?" he asked, confused since he had just received her last owl.

"No, I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind a change in plans tomorrow." She explained Theo's situation to him, and how Daphne had invited her to Hogsmeade the following day. "If you don't want to, that's fine, I can always ask to go a different day," she offered.

"No, it sounds like it could be fun, even if the company is all Slytherins. What about Ron?"

"First off, Savannah is in Ravenclaw. Secondly, Ron still isn't invited because we'll only be going out for a few hours. Not to mention that I don't really see him being very friendly, even if none of them are Malfoy and Parkinson followers."

"So I still have to bring dress robes to wear at dinner?" he asked with an exaggerated sigh.

"Yes, you still have to bring dress robes. Trust me, that isn't my idea," she responded with a laugh.

Since the war had ended a month and a half ago, both Harry and Hermione had lightened up considerably, all of the stress that had come with it having evaporated. Harry was still Harry, though, and Hermione was still Hermione. She hadn't really had a chance to talk to Lilah at tea, and she was anxious to ask the young woman about N.E.W.T.'s and how hard she had found them to be.

"All right then, so I'll let you know tomorrow when we're ready to have you Floo over. See you then," she said.

"I'll be waiting," he replied, smiling, before her head disappeared from the fire.

She pulled out her contact card, asking Theo where he was so she wouldn't have to search the grounds for him. When he answered, she met him and Blaise in Blaise's guest room. It wasn't the fanciest of the guest rooms, but it wasn't the plainest either. Looking around it, she thought that it suited Blaise well.

"Harry's fine with it," she told them, much to Theo's relief.

He then held out a parchment that had arrived for her while she was in the fire. "From Lilah and Savannah," he told her.

"How do you know?" she asked, since the letter was still rolled up and sealed.

"The family crest on the seal," he answered.

"Oh," she replied dumbly before opening it to find the letter she was expecting.

Theo handed her a couple pieces of parchment and a quill, as he ordered her to write back, causing her to laugh at him. "You know, Theo, I might want to check and see if Daphne minds everyone coming along first."

He glared at her, knowing she was right as she wrote a letter to the girl, asking if she didn't mind the others tagging along.

An hour later the reply came, telling her it was perfectly fine with her, and giving her the time and place to meet. Hermione then wrote to the Moon sisters, accepting their offer to spend some time together and proposing that they two of them come to Hogsmeade the following day with Daphne, Theo, Blaise, Harry, and herself.


	12. Chapter 12 The Night Sky

**The Night Sky**

The next morning all conversation at the breakfast table stopped when an owl delivered the Prophet. Hermione, Caoilinn and Brisco crowded together over the newspaper as they searched for Rita Skeeter's article. It was on the top right of the third page, the headline proclaiming "From Muggle-born to Pureblood: Hermione Granger Shocks the Wizarding World!"

They skimmed the article, sometimes cringing, sometimes smiling, and sometimes sneering. There were a few references to Harry, though nothing bad was written, and Hermione's direct quote was used exactly as she had said it, surprising Hermione greatly.

Another direct quote was her response to the question about Kingsley. While the part of her knowing him was cut out, Rita had pointed out that anyone with such strong convictions about someone, especially worded the way Hermione's statement had been, must know the person they were talking about.

"How is it that there is barely any scandalous news in this Skeeter article?" Brisco asked, his eyebrow raised toward his daughter.

"How would I know? I'm not the one who wrote it," she answered back loftily.

"Brisco, you should have seen the woman. I have no idea how or why, but Hermione seems to have her wrapped around her little finger."

Both of her parents looked over to her, and she shrugged her shoulders. "I know something that Rita can't afford to have known. She doesn't write bad things about me or my friends, and I keep it a secret."

"What is it that you know about her?" Brisco asked, intrigued that his Gryffindor daughter was so devious.

To this Hermione laughed. "I'm not telling you. Secrets only work when they're kept secret."

Later, Hermione waited beside the fireplace for Harry to come through. As soon as he fell through, she had her wand on him, Scourigifying the ash and soot from his robes. She gave him a quick tour of the house, pointing out which rooms were where, but she wanted to save the grounds for later.

The last stop on the tour was her rooms, which he found very impressive. At least four of his cupboard under the stairs could fit into just her dressing room.

When she had finished showing him around, they sat on her bed, cross-legged, talking, the door wide open as mandated. "Ron's mad about not being invited, even though I told him you could only have one person over," Harry said. "You know how he is, Hermione, he might not talk to you for a while."

"And if that's the case then it's almost better that I couldn't invite him. If he can't deal with little things like this, then I don't know what to do with him. He really needs to mature a bit."

Harry nodded his understanding, having often felt the same way. "How are you dealing with everything, Hermione? I've been worried about you. It must be a hard change since the Grangers were so wonderful to you. It's really quite the opposite of what happened to me, going from the Dursleys to Sirius."

"The biggest difference in that analogy is that the Notts love me as much as the Grangers do," Hermione responded, feeling bad to make light of his situation with the Dursleys. "But I'm doing well. The adjustment is kind of hard, but I knew it was coming and the Notts are so much better than we would have ever thought," she told him.

"Good. Ron mostly seems to be worried that the rest of your birth family was in Slytherin and he thinks they'll rub off on you." Hermione just rolled her eyes in response. Ron really could be dense sometimes.

"How are things with Sirius?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Brilliant," he replied. "I have never been so happy, and from what I can tell, neither has Sirius. We've started redecorating Grimmauld so it's more habitable. The house elf heads have been taken down, and Sirius was finally able to Unstick his mum's portrait."

"I'm so happy for you, Harry. It's about time something goes well for you," she commented.

Harry was stopped from replying back by a knock on the open door; Theo and Blaise were standing in the hall wearing snazzy summer robes. "You two ready to go?" Theo asked.

"Yes, we were just talking," Hermione responded as she and Harry stood up from her bed. Theo looked them over and decided that they looked good in their summer robes, as well. It had taken some persuasion on Hermione's part to get Harry to wear robes rather than Muggle clothes, insisting that since they were going to a wizarding village they would stick out too much in shorts and a tee shirt like he wanted to wear.

Since moving in with Sirius, Harry's wardrobe had improved immensely. From the moment he arrived, Sirius had burned all of Dudley's hand-me-downs and taken him shopping. Harry had never pegged Sirius as a clotheshorse until that trip, and had had a good laugh about it the entire day. He refused contacts or corrective surgery and spells though, opting for a new pair of glasses that fit his face nicely.

The quartet walked through the house and the grounds to the Apparition point, Harry going side-along with Hermione, who had passed her test on the first try. Harry did not fail to notice the momentary narrowing of Blaise's eyes when Hermione firmly linked their arms and held his hand.

They arrived in front of Madame Puddifoot's a full ten minutes early, only to find Lilah, Savannah, and Daphne all standing against the building, talking. Theo's face lit up as he walked over to his girlfriend, gently kissing her lips.

After a quick introduction, Harry having never actually met Lilah, the group made their way down the street, deciding where to go and what to do. For the most part, they ended up walking around the town, talking and joking around, and making a stop at the ice cream parlour. Harry and Hermione were inwardly surprised at how well they got along with their house rivals, and the others secretly felt the same about them.

A few fun-filled hours later, the seven teens parted ways and went home.

That night after Harry left, Hermione found herself going for a walk in the back gardens, the night air cool and the light from the waning gibbous moon illuminating her path. Finding a nice patch of grass she laid down, staring up at the thousands of stars, a peaceful feeling of contentment washing through her. She loved looking at the stars, and while she and the Grangers hadn't lived in the city, there were still too many lights dimming the view. The last time she had seen so many stars was as a little girl, visiting a planetarium with her adoptive parents.

She had been laying there lost in her thoughts for almost half an hour, when she heard the sound of someone walking towards her on the white gravel path. Without saying a word, Blaise laid on the ground next to her, looking up into the night sky and occasionally stealing a glance in her direction.

"I've never really noticed how beautiful the night sky is," Blaise commented after about five minutes.

Hermione gave him a sideways glance, smiling softly. "I've never seen it as clearly as you can here, there's practically no light pollution." She suddenly gave a shiver, the cool air enveloping her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, just chilly."

"Come here," he told her. She looked warily at him, as though she would pull away further, and he sighed. "I won't bite, you know." He then slid over so the length of their bodies were touching, his arm under her neck and her head resting on his shoulder, still looking up at the stars.

With the new position, though, her mind was suddenly distracted. The scent of his cologne invaded her senses and she breathed him in. He was so warm, and so soft, yet hard and she could feel his toned muscles through the light fabric of his robes.

"Did you have a good time today?" he asked, still looking upwards, his fingers playing with her hair that was sprawled over his arm and onto the ground.

"Yes. Who knew that hanging out with a bunch of Slytherins could be so fun?" she responded cheekily, looking over at him for a moment.

"Brat," he responded with a smile, poking her in the side and causing her to both squirm and laugh. As she squirmed against him, she felt tingles run up her spine, and she stilled, not exactly sure what the feeling had been. She looked at him, her eyes narrowed as he feigned a look of innocence.

One moment she was mock-glaring at him, and the next, he was leaning closer to her, his eyes searching. She knew that he was going to kiss her and at that moment, there was nothing she wanted more. She tilted her head up to him; his lips were mere millimetres from her own when she closed her eyes.

"Blaise!" came Theo's voice out of the darkness.

"Shit," Blaise murmured, smoothing back Hermione's hair as he detached himself from her and laid her back on the grass, her eyes staring at him as though she were a deer caught in the headlights.

"Over here!" he called out, cursing his best mate to a life taking care of Blast-Ended Screwts in his mind.

end note: thanks go to lupie, who suggested the title to the newspaper article! Also, I know that there's Ron bashing going on… and it will get worse before it gets better, but it will get better, lol. Also, thanks to the readers, reviewers, and lupie for betaing and not just her suggestion, lol.


	13. Chapter 13 The Jumble

a/n I was going to wait until after I got home from work to post this chapter, but since that would be decidedly later than the others, I decided to do it earlier, lol.

**The Jumble**

Twenty minutes later, Hermione was in her Silenced bedroom, pacing the carpeted floor. She suddenly let out a maddening scream, crouching down and resting her forehead on her knees, only to stand back up and restart her pacing, mumbling to herself.

"What on earth is wrong with me? Why did I let him almost kiss me? Why did he try to kiss me? Why did I want him to? I barely even know him! What is wrong with me?" she reiterated, saying the phrase over and over between random self-admonishments.

She couldn't believe that she had almost let Blaise Zabini kiss her, that she would have if Theo hadn't come looking for him. Oh, gods, Theo! How would he react if he found out? Sure they hadn't had much time to get to know one another and form a bond, but her being his sister wasn't new news to him and Blaise was his best friend. She suddenly started violently shaking, a sudden burst of extra energy forcing its way out as her thoughts ran a mile a minute.

She had always been sensible and logical, always planning things out. Yes, she had become more lax the last month or so, but she couldn't just go around kissing people because she felt like it. They weren't even dating. Would he expect more... either physically or emotionally? Would she? She looked down at her watch. It was late. Too late. She needed to talk to someone, to sort things out. She needed to talk to Harry, but it was past curfew and she couldn't just write him a letter because Ron might find out. Then again, maybe that would be better.

Hermione sat on her bed, taking deep breaths. She had to clear her mind, everything was too jumbled, and most of it wasn't the least bit coherent. As she continued her steady breathing her head emptied slightly, but not much. She stood up and moved to her bathroom, where she drew a bath, adding calming oils to the warm water.

As the tub filled, she crossed over to her dressing room and pulled out a silk nightie, a slip of fabric that only reached mid-thigh. It was one of her favourite summer sleeping gowns. When she returned, the tub was almost full so she undressed, leaving her clothes in a folded pile in the corner, knowing Lammy would take them away after she left the room.

It had taken her longer to get used to having an house-elf than it had to get used to living with her birth family, but she had seen how upset Lammy became every time she even thought of mentioning the elf was doing too much work, or gods forbid, saying that she should take some time off. She decided to keep the elf and let it do its job; she was afraid for Lammy's mental health any other way.

Slipping into the soothing water, she breathed in the calming fragrances, her mind clearing just a tad bit more. She had never really given much thought to Blaise Zabini before. He had always been good-looking, but she had never had a need to get to know his personality before. Yes, he had always been nice, but they hadn't had many occasions over the years that required conversation.

They had had a great time in Hogsmeade earlier. Theo and Lilah were off in their own little world, but the rest of them had gotten along rather well. Harry and Daphne seemed to be hitting things off, and they spent much of the afternoon off to the side, lost in their own conversation. Hermione was mostly left with Blaise and Savannah, him walking between the two females, an arm draped over each of their shoulders as they walked around.

Blaise had spent the day flirting with both girls, though his attention did stray to Hermione more often. She had assumed that it was just how he was-some guys were just very flirty that way. When they had arrived home, they hadn't seen each other again. With the exception of dinner, he and Theo had stayed holed up in Theo's room while Hermione and Harry explored the grounds.

By the time Hermione left the bath, her skin pruny, the oils had done their job, lulling her into a sleepy calm. After drying herself off and plaiting her hair, she put on her nightgown and crawled into her large, warm bed.

She lay awake for quite some time, but just before she lost complete consciousness, there was an extremely soft knock at her door. Worried why someone would be knocking on her door at three in the morning, she climbed out of bed, not even thinking to put on a robe as she rubbed at her sleepy eyes with her fists.

Opening the door, she found Blaise, wearing black sleep pants and a grey wife beater. "Is everything okay?" she asked, her voice half alert, half sleepy.

He was quiet for a moment, simply staring at her before he answered. "No, nothing is wrong. I couldn't sleep and I need to talk to you," he whispered, conscious of Theo sleeping in the room across the hall.

She gazed up at him wearily before she turned back into her room, gesturing for him to follow and returned to her bed, where she cozied up under the top quilt. Blaise, uncertain of what to do, closed the door and sat on the very edge of her bed, his legs hanging to the ground. Glancing at the door, she considered opening it up but decided that what her parents didn't know couldn't hurt them. Besides, it wasn't like she was going to sleep with Blaise or anything.

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?" she asked, waking up a bit and pulling her covers up around her chest.

"What happened tonight. I can't get it out of my mind," he responded.

"So you want to talk about it?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes, I think it is," she said, looking at him suspiciously. "Besides, there's nothing to talk about. Nothing happened, and nothing is going to happen."

She could have sworn that he flinched at her response, but she wasn't completely awake yet and her mind could be playing tricks on her. "You didn't seem so sure of that a couple hours ago," he responded.

"Blaise," she sighed. "I don't know you. I've known who you are for six years now, but I don't know you as a person. I've always found you attractive, but there's more to life than just attraction."

"Hermione, I don't want to be your friend. Well, I do, but not only your friend," he amended.

"You need to forget about this, Blaise. You are my brother's best friend," she said, trying to add to her argument. "I have no intention of coming between you. I may not be used to having a brother yet, but I do know that that is just one line that you don't cross."

"What about Potter and Weaslette?" he asked, hoping for a positive story to back him up. After all, Harry and Ron were still friends.

"That was just... bad. Ginny wanted 'The Chosen One,' not Harry. When he finally realized it, he dumped her. Harry and Ron are still friends, but it's really strained between them. The Weasleys were always like a family to him, but they don't believe Ginny's like that, so of course they stood behind her and pretty much give him the cold shoulder now."

That had not been the answer Blaise had been looking for. "That's a bad example," he told her. She raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned. "I already know you're not the 'The Chosen One.'"

She shook her head at him as she gave a big yawn. "Give it up, Blaise. Now go back to your room so I can get some sleep," she said, curling even further into her blankets and closing her eyes as her head rested on the pillow.

He wished her a good night and climbed the stairs to his own room, determined that she would want him as much as he wanted her, especially now that she was within his reach. He had been carrying a torch for the Gryffindor bookworm for almost two years, but the war had gotten in the way.

His family was decidedly neutral and if he had tried to pursue her, then he and his mother would be cast into the side of the Light, and that was not something that his mother would have taken well. She wanted nothing to do with either side, not being fond of the leaders and what they stood for. She had always believed in a healthy balance, not too far left or right.

But now the war was over and Hermione was staying under the same roof as him. He would let her think he was willing to just be her friend, let her get to know him better as she seemed to want to do, and then pounce. Yes, that sounded like a plan. Ten minutes later, Blaise fell asleep with a predatory grin on his face.


	14. Chapter 14 The Argument

**The Argument**

Barely four hours after Blaise's departure, Hermione was awoken by a loud 'pop,' which pulled her back from near sleep as she barely heard Lammy's timid voice squeaking in her ear. "Master wants Miss Hermione in dining room in twenty minutes."

"Can't I just sleep?" she moaned, opening her eyes and glancing at the clock. "It's only seven-thirty."

"No, Miss. Master very mad and demands you now."

Hermione cursed under her breath as she threw off her covers. If Brisco was mad she probably shouldn't show up to breakfast in her nightgown. She got up and took a quick shower, throwing on one of her casual robes before quickly making her way to her father.

When she entered the room, she immediately felt the urge to recoil at the anger Brisco was exuding. "Sit," he ordered, his voice hard, but calm. She immediately took her seat, staring up at him and wondering what this was all about.

"At approximately three this morning, you had a boy in your room with the door closed. Care to explain why?"

_How the hell did he find that out?_ she wondered, glancing to Caoilinn, who was also sitting at the table, her face blank. "Blaise and I were talking and we didn't want to wake Theo," she told him, her voice showing that it should have been obvious despite her wariness towards her father.

"You can save your attitude, Hermione," he said. "The fact of the matter is that you broke the rules and you will be punished accordingly."

She stared at him in shock. "It's not exactly a big deal. I don't think you want to know the amount of times I've been in closed bedrooms with Harry and Ron. Hell, I've slept in the same bed as Harry! You made that rule so Theo and I wouldn't be having sex in our rooms, and since that thought hadn't even occurred to me, I don't think I should be punished," she responded, glaring up at him while Caoilinn gaped at her daughter's language.

"That is unacceptable behaviour from someone your age. Where were the adults in their homes? No matter, your punishment is to hand wash the dishes for the rest of the week; I'll notify the elves immediately," he told her, his voice tight, the only outward sign that she had angered him further with her retort.

It took everything Hermione had to not snort at the absurdity of the punishment. Unlike Theo, she had grown up doing such chores and wasn't the least bit fazed. "Fine, but I'll start tomorrow. I'm going over to Harry's today. I'll be there for dinner, and if I decide to stay over, I'll have Sirius Floo you."

"No one gave you permission to go to Potter's and just who, exactly, is Sirius?"

"I don't need permission. You yourself said you would not stop my comings and goings, and I'm telling you where I'll be. Sirius Black is Harry's godfather and guardian. Harry lives with him in London."

"Sirius Black? The mass murder and Azkaban escapee? No! You will not be socializing with him! Why haven't you mentioned that Potter lives with him?"

"You never asked," Hermione said, standing up and placing her hands on the table. "Besides, Sirius was innocent. You should know that, _Daddy Death Eater_," she bit out. "After all, he was accused of killing Peter Pettigrew, who, I'm sure you well know, was alive until almost two months ago. In fact, I would have killed the traitor myself, but I let Harry have the honour, since it was his parents the bastard helped murder."

Brisco and Caoilinn were frozen in place, staring at their daughter as she ranted about things they had never known. They had given her away to stop her from growing up under the influence of the Dark Lord, and here she was, passionately informing them of her intent to commit murder. They had been able to protect their son from him, not having to give him over until his majority, but through their daughter's choice of friends, she had been in the thick of things probably longer than they would care to know.

She had been at the Department of Mysteries, but they had hoped it to be just a fluke. Dolohov had taken her down before she had the chance to show any true fighting skills, so they had been in a world of blissful ignorance. They would have never imagined their daughter would want, and be willing, to kill another person. They were both afraid to learn more about this side of Hermione, worried that their sacrifice had been in vain.

"The fact remains, Hermione, that you broke the rules and are being punished," Brisco said unwaveringly. He let the 'Death Eater' comment slide, not wanting to get into that argument at the moment. She had been trying to get him to talk about it-why he joined in the first place, why he stayed-but it was something he wasn't proud of, and he didn't like to talk about it. Obviously, though, her feelings on the subject ran deeper than he had thought, considering how she was currently speaking to him. It seemed they would have to talk, and soon.

"I'm not arguing that, I'm just merely informing you that I won't be here. If that is all, I'll be going back to bed now," she said dismissively.

"Hermione Jane Nott!" her mother exclaimed, entering the conversation. "Do not speak to your father like that. He only has your best interests in mind."

"Of course he does; all parents who give their children away like yesterday's rubbish have their best interests in mind. And my middle name is Jean!"

"I named you Hermione Jane, and that is what I shall call you," Caoilinn answered, upset over the name change. Hermione turned to leave, but Lammy chose that moment to 'pop' into the room.

The house-elf looked around the room nervously before scurrying over to Hermione. "Miss, this is just arriving," the elf said, handing over a piece of rolled parchment.

"Lammy, couldn't this wait?" Brisco asked sharply.

"Lammy doesn't think so, sir. Falcon tried to bite Lammy for waiting."

"A falcon?" Hermione asked, her eyes lit up.

"Yes, Miss." With that, Lammy disappeared, scared off by the dark look on Brisco's face. Not paying him any mind, Hermione slid the parchment in her pocket to read later.

"Are you going to open that?" Caoilinn asked, curious as to who would be sending Hermione letters, and who it would be to make her perk up so quickly.

"Later," Hermione responded.

"I take it that you know who sent it?"

"Of course, I've been writing to him for a couple of years now."

"Another boy?" Brisco asked with an exasperated sigh. He was still upset with his daughter but wasn't going to press the matter further at the moment, not wanting to continue fighting with her right before leaving for work. "Are you friends with any females?" he asked.

Hermione gave the question a moment of thought before answering. "No, not really. I was friends with Ginny Weasley for a while, but she's too self-centered, and my dorm mates are Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. They're not the type of people I care to associate with because they cared way too much about what everyone was wearing and not nearly enough about their studies. Now, are we through?"

"For now," Brisco nodded, watching Hermione leave the room in a fairly good mood considering she had just about bitten his head off. As soon as she was gone, both he and Caoilinn looked at each other, their faces sombre as it sunk in just how many emotional issues giving Hermione away had caused her.

Hermione headed down to her room, failing to notice the shimmering of a Disillusionment Charm against the wall near the open door to the room she had just vacated.

She closed the door behind her and sat on the bed, quickly unrolling the parchment. A smaller piece fell into her lap and she put it to the side as she eagerly read the pinched, messy scrawl of her much awaited letter.

_Hermione,_

_Anastasia won't leave me alone about meeting you, so please come to the Cup. I've given you a voucher for four seats in the 'Family and Friends box.' Bring whoever you want, but I want to meet this new brother you told me about. With these seats, you do not need to be at the grounds until the morning of the match._

_Viktor_

Hermione reread the short note and gave a chuckle, her previous bad mood pushed to the back of her mind. Anastasia was Viktor's girlfriend, and she had been hounding him for months to introduce her to 'the only other girl to keep her Viktor's affections.' She picked up the voucher and put both pieces of parchment off to the side as she realized how tired she still was. Within ten minutes she had fallen fast asleep, a smile still on her lips.


	15. Chapter 15 The Tickets

**The Tickets**

She woke up three hours later and took a shower before getting dressed. When she left her room it was close to noon, and she opened her door into the hallway at the same time as Theo.

"Morning," he greeted and she smirked at him, shaking her head in amusement that he could sleep so late every day.

"Morning," she responded. The two walked to the dining room, where lunch was set out. "Do you have plans for July 18th?" she asked as they sat down on opposite sides of the table.

"Yes," he responded, looking up. "So do you," he informed her.

"Excuse me? What do I have planned?"

"Dad got tickets to the Quidditch World Cup. We're going the day before and spending the night."

"Well, fuck," she muttered.

"What, you don't want to go?" he asked, amazed at the thought of someone who didn't want to go to the World Cup.

"No. Actually," she said after a brief pause where she looked at him knowingly, "I was sent four tickets this morning. It was requested that you come with me, and I was going to ask Harry and Ron to come as well."

Blaise walked in the room and they both glanced at him before turning back to their conversation. "You were sent four tickets to the Quidditch World Cup, for free, with no strings attached? I really don't think you should trust that, Hermione," Theo warned.

"I never said there were no strings attached," she responded vaguely.

"Hermione," Theo said, giving her a 'don't patronize me' look.

"What? I didn't." She paused for a moment, thinking, before she continued. "No offence to Brisco and Caoilinn, but I'd rather go with my friends... and I have better seats than them."

"You don't even know where the seats are," he said as Blaise looked on quietly. Now he knew what was in the letter she had received, he just didn't know who had sent it. "Dad was able to get really good seats, even if we are right next to Dolohov."

"No way!" she hissed angrily. "There is no bloody way I am sitting anywhere near that man! However," she continued quietly, "I will need you to come with me a bit after the game if you won't sit with me."

"I take it you don't like Dolohov?" he asked, ignoring the rest of what she had said.

In response, Hermione stood up and lifted her Muggle shirt to just below her bra, showing off the pale flesh of her stomach. A thick, white scar could plainly be seen across the upper half of her belly. "It goes up a bit more as well. So, I guess you could say that I'm not particularly fond of Dolohov."

Theo and Blaise were staring at her in horror. They had both known that her being friends with Harry had come at a price, that she had been far more involved than them in the actual fighting of the war, but neither had been expecting something quite like this.

"Antonin did that to you?" Caoilinn asked from the doorway, her voice tight with pure fury. They all turned to her in surprise since no one had heard her come in.

"Yes," Hermione responded simply, lowering her shirt as she sat back down. Her mother now understood one of the many reasons Hermione resented them, along with Brisco's choice to stay a Death Eater throughout the war.

"Oh, come on, it's not the end of the world," she told her brother and his friend as they continued to stare at her. "Caoilinn, I hope you don't mind, but I won't be sitting with you at the Cup," she changed the subject.

"I can't say I blame you, but your father may be able to get other seats before you make the decision."

"Actually, I was given four seats in the letter that arrived for me this morning. I was told that one was for Theo, and I was planning on asking Harry and Ron to come with the other ones," she explained again.

"And just who is it that gave you these seats, Hermione?" Caoilinn asked, her eyes narrowed. Seats to the World Cup were hard to come by, especially since it was being held in the Spanish countryside this year and they didn't have the home advantage. A gift of four of them would be rather expensive for whoever bought them, even if they were cheap seats.

"Viktor," she replied.

"Viktor who?" Caoilinn demanded, even more suspicious.

"Krum," Hermione sighed. As much as she loved her friends, she hated how well-known some of them were, never having been one for name dropping. For the second time this meal, the two males in the room were agape.

"And what does Viktor Krum expect from you that he would send you four tickets to the match?" she asked suspiciously.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she answered. "His girlfriend is adamant that she meet me, and he wants to meet Theo. Probably to threaten him or something, I don't know. He's kind of protective, even though I haven't really seen him in ages," she mused.

"You never mentioned that you still talk to Krum," Theo interjected.

"I didn't? Sorry, I wasn't keeping it from you on purpose. We've been writing to each other ever since he left after the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

"I'll have a talk with your father tonight and we'll let you know our decision tomorrow. Are you still planning on going over to Harry's today?"

"Mmm hmm," she mumbled through her food, keeping her mouth closed. "I have to Floo him first, though," she added when she had swallowed.

Once she had finished eating, Hermione made her way to the cloak room, calling out for Harry. Sirius answered and they spoke genially for a bit until Harry made his way to the fireplace. "Hey, Hermione, I wasn't expecting to see you today."

"I know. I was wondering if you have plans for today? I had a fight with Brisco and I don't really want to stay here."

Harry suddenly looked uncomfortable, shifting on his feet and not looking her in the eyes. "Yeah, I'm sorry, Hermione, but I do have plans already. I'm sure that Ron's free," he suggested.

"Maybe," she hesitantly replied. "So, what are these elusive plans?" she asked, seeing that he was obviously uncomfortable with the topic.

"It's nothing," he waved away, his face flushed.

"Is it a girl?" Hermione asked teasingly. The only time she had ever seen him act remotely like this before was when he had had a crush on Cho. He hadn't been nearly this bad over Ginny.

"Hermione," he groaned.

"Fine, fine, I'll leave it alone. For now," she told him, raising her hands in surrender.

"Thank you," Harry sighed. "I have to get going now, I'm sorry that I can't help you out," he said genuinely.

"That's okay," she responded. "I'll think of something." Before she even had her head out of the flames, she had already thought of who she could go to. The Grangers. Their surgery was closed on Tuesdays, so they could open on Saturdays when they had a large amount of business from people who couldn't get time off during the week to see the dentist.

After grabbing her purse, she Apparated to Muggle London to use a pay phone, thankful that she kept both Wizarding and Muggle money with her. The Grangers eagerly agreed to meet with her in an hour, so she Apparated back home to inform Caoilinn of her new plans and find something to do for the remaining time before she was to be at the Grangers.


	16. Chapter 16 The Advice

**The Advice**

"So, you're really going to the Granger's?" Theo asked accusingly as Blaise settled himself on her bed, resting his head on his hands against the headboard.

"That's the plan," she responded with a sigh.

"What happened to going over to Harry's?"

"He has other plans. I think it's with a girl, but he wouldn't say," she smirked.

"So you're going to them... out of everyone you can visit, you choose them. You've really hurt Mum," he said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Theo," she sighed, reaching out to him from her place at the foot of her bed. He looked at her through narrowed eyes before sitting next to her and allowing her to put her arm around his shoulder.

"I never meant to hurt her, but she'll get over it soon," Hermione told him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You've probably heard, but I had a bit of a tiff with Brisco this morning and I need someone to talk to about it."

"You can talk to me about it," Theo offered, unconsciously stroking her hair. "You're not an only child anymore, Hermione. What kind of brother would I be if you couldn't talk to me?"

"That's sweet of you, but no, I can't. You must understand, the Grangers have been my parents, my only real family, for the last seventeen years. I've always gone to them when I needed help, and I hope they can help me now. And I miss them. I get six days with them over the summer, this will be my first."

"I still don't like it," he said darkly.

"You don't have to like it, but that's how it is. I can't imagine that any of you expected me to just forget about them."

"No," he sighed, bumping his side into hers playfully.

"Good," she replied, bumping him back. "Now get out of my room so I can leave," she mock ordered as she stood up.

Theo stood up next to her and Blaise reluctantly crawled out of her bed, situating himself between the two, one arm over each of their shoulders. "So, now that that's settled, why don't we come with you," he suggested, facing Hermione with a grin across his handsome face.

"Ummm, no, not today," she said, shrugging away from him and pushing the two boys away from the bed and towards the door. She followed them out of the room, shutting the door. Just as she Disapparated from the hallway, she felt Blaise's hand pinching her backside, but before she could do anything to respond, she had already made it to the Granger's, thankfully without splinching herself.

Familiar arms were wrapped around her before she had a chance to situate herself and she couldn't help but smile as the love for her from her adoptive mother filled her.

"How are you, Honey?" she cooed. "You sounded upset when we talked earlier."

"I was. Where's Dad?" she hedged.

"Oh, he's down at the market, we were missing some of the ingredients for dessert. I take it you want to wait until he's here to talk about it?" she replied, having always been able to see through her daughter.

"Please. How have you been, I've missed you," Hermione said, pulling the older woman into another hug. When they pulled away, they started towards the lounge, where they sat down on the sofa.

"We've been okay. Mostly, we've been working, and going out to try and find things to amuse us."

"So the usual for when I'm not around?"

"Pretty much," Madeline laughed. "We figure if we act like normal, then it won't be so bad not having you here."

"Mum, that's not very healthy," Hermione lectured. "You need to grieve, even if you will get to continue seeing me."

"I don't know," her mum teased, "it seems we hear from you more often now than we did when you lived under our roof. We've never gotten so many letters from you in such a short span of time before."

Hermione blushed, mumbling under her breath, "I missed you."

They heard the back door open and made their way to the kitchen where they found Eugene putting away the groceries he had just purchased. When he saw Hermione, he stopped what he was doing to give her a tight hug.

Eventually, the three settled down in the lounge with tea and biscuits. "What is it that had you all worked up earlier, Honey?" asked Madeline.

"Nothing. Everything. It's just... so hard to be who they want me to be. I've gone along with everything they wanted so far, until last night, and I just sometimes feel like they don't want me for who I am, but who they want me to be. Well, not Theo, but he's known me since we were eleven."

"Oh, Honey," her mum cooed, squeezing her shoulders, "It's going to be all right. These things just take time."

"What happened last night?"

"I was talking to Theo's friend in my room, with the door closed, and I'm not allowed to close the door with boys in the room. I hadn't even realized it," she fibbed, "I'm just so used to closing the door when I'm with Harry and Ron and it didn't really cross my mind."

"You may be used to it one way, but if it's their rule, then it's the rule you must follow," her dad told her. "I assume there were repercussions?"

"Yes; I have to do the dishes the Muggle way for a week. Apparently that's a big punishment for Theo," she smiled.

"I have half a mind to tell them that that's not a punishment to you, but I think I'll let them find out themselves," he commented. "So, this boy, who is he?"

"Blaise Zabini," she answered, rolling her eyes.

"I've never heard you mention him," Eugene said suspiciously.

"There was never any need to. He was never my friend, but he was never an arse to me either."

"If he was never your friend, what was he doing in your bedroom? And you say this happened at night?" he probed while Hermione thought that perhaps she shouldn't have come to her parents over this after all.

"Eugene, I'm sure they were just talking. I seriously doubt that Hermione would tell us about a boy being in her closed room at night if anything untoward went on," her mother rationalized, making Hermione feel slightly guilty, even if the almost-kiss had happened outside and not in her room.

"So you think I should just be a good little girl and do everything they say without a second thought?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject.

"Of course not! Not if there's something that you are fundamentally opposed to, but there's no harm in trying new things," Madeline responded with a motherly warmth to her voice.

"Hermione, love," Eugene said, "you just need to be yourself. Right now they love you because you are their daughter, and if you give them time, they will love you because you're you, the way that we do. Just because something is different, doesn't mean that it's bad, or that you should automatically rule it out. Give everyone a chance.

"I'm sure by now you must have met a few of Theo's friends. He seems like a good kid; if you stick by him, his friends, and your friends, this transition will more than likely be slightly smoother for you all."

Hermione smiled. Her dad had always been somewhat random in what he said, but somehow it always made sense. The three of them continued talking for a while, catching up despite the fact that Hermione had already told them almost everything that had been going on through her letters.

After dinner, Hermione hugged them both with tears in her eyes as she thanked them for all of their advice, and Disapparated back to her new home.


	17. Chapter 17 Interlude

**Interlude**

When Hermione arrived home that night, it was to find Pigwidgeon waiting for her, fluttering himself about her bedroom. She cringed; looking around she could see a few things that had been knocked down onto the floor.

"Pig!" she cried out, and the hyper owl hooted happily as it flew full-force at her head. She ducked just in time, only to hear a moan from the doorway behind her where Theo and Blaise were, having come to see what all the noise was about.

"Bloody bird's a menace," Theo groaned, rubbing his head with one hand and holding the small bird with the other. "Who does it even belong to?"

Hermione was grinning at her brother, thinking of Ron's same assessment of Errol all those years ago. "Ron," she answered. She took the opportunity of Theo holding Pig to detach the letter that was tied to his leg before taking the bird itself. She put Pig into Maddygene's cage, who awoke from her slumber to give Hermione a resentful 'hoot' before going back to sleep.

"It would figure a Weasley would own a bird like that," Theo muttered condescendingly before sending Hermione an apologetic look. "Sorry," he smiled sheepishly. "Sister or not, the bloke still gets on my nerves."

"Understandable," she replied, her lips quirked into a half-smile. "But the bird was given to him by Sirius."

"I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that _Sirius Black_ is Potter's godfather and Potter lives with him now. All these years, we've had it so wrong," Blaise said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, Sirius is a good guy. A bit immature sometimes, but his heart's in the right place," Hermione said as she went through her room, straightening everything Pig had knocked over while Theo and Blaise remained in the doorway. "Do you two need anything, or are you just standing there for something to do?" she asked, though she didn't wait for a response as she sat on her bed and opened the letter.

She sighed and shook her head as she read the five words on the parchment, written in Ron's messy handwriting. _"We need to talk. Now."_

"Looks like I'm going to the Burrow," she commented as she brought the letter to her desk, where she quickly wrote back that she would be there soon. Looking to the two boys in her door frame, she added, "Seriously, why are the two of you still here? Don't you have anything better to do?"

"No, not really," they responded at the same time.

"Why are you going to somewhere called 'The Burrow'?" asked Theo, his brows furrowed in confusion and distaste of the name while she sent her response off with Pig, who had had a bite to eat and some water to ready himself to make the return trip.

"To get into a fight with Ron," she answered matter-of-factly as she pulled out her contact card to let her parents know where she was going and that she would be home by curfew.

"What? Why?" he said, confused as to why someone would go anywhere knowing they were going to get in a fight.

"He's upset with me, and he seems to be in the mood to let it out. It's going to happen the next time I see him, so I might as well go now and get it over with."

"What? Did his letter ask you to come over so he could yell at you?" She handed him the letter and Theo read it over twice before handing it off to Blaise. "How do you know he wants to fight from that?"

"Ron doesn't demand things of people. Plus, he's not too happy about being excluded yesterday, even if it was for good reasons," she answered. "And now that he's had some time to dwell, I bet he's upset about me being related to you, as well. He always was prejudiced against Slytherins."

"That's it, I'm... we're going with you," Theo said, changing his words at Blaise's cough.

"Why? To make things worse?"

"No, to make sure he doesn't hurt you. He has a bit of a temper on him."

"Which will only be made worse if you're there," she argued.

"But then I can redirect it to me, rather than you. There's no way you're going without us."

The two stood there glaring at each other for what seemed like hours. "Oh, come on already. Hermione, we're going with you, and that's all there is to it," Blaise said, trying to stop the contest of who was more stubborn, knowing it could go on all night.

Hermione turned her glare on him and he smirked back. "Or, of course, you can just not go to Weasley's. That would suit us just fine. Though you'd have to spend the rest of the night with us to be sure you don't sneak off to get in this fight you seem to be spoiling for," he informed her.

"I am not spoiling for a fight. I hate fighting. But I'd rather have it over and done with then not show up and have him freak out over that, too."

"Good, then let's go. We're wasting daylight here," Theo said. Both Hermione and Blaise looked at him like he had two heads, but eventually Hermione nodded her head once.

"Fine. I'll side-Apparate you one by one to a clearing near the house." She took Theo first, and they arrived at the spot where she had taken the Portkey to the Quidditch World Cup three years earlier. After making sure he would wait there, she went to the Apparition point in front of the house, where Blaise was waiting for her.

As she walked over to Blaise, she tripped over her feet, plummeting face first to the ground. She put out her hands to soften her landing, but when they hit something solid, it wasn't the hard ground, but Blaise's firm body.

He pulled her up so that her arms were around his neck, placing his own so they circled her waist, holding her tight against him under the guise of holding on tight enough for safe side-Apparation.

After she didn't move her eyes off his face for almost a full minute, he smirked down to her. "Are we leaving or are we going to just stand here? Mind you, I much prefer the latter, but Theo _is_ waiting for us wherever you left him at." His words snapped her out of whatever trance she had been in and her cheeks flushed before she buried her face into his chest so he couldn't see her embarrassed face. Before he could make another comment, they disappeared.

When they 'popped' into the clearing, Theo looked at the two, one eyebrow raised as he looked at Blaise's smiling face, Hermione facing the other way. Hermione pulled away from the embrace almost immediately, though Theo noticed her slight hesitation. His attention was caught by the small owl that suddenly flew by at top speed, surprising him with its speed; he had fully expected to be there and gone before the owl had made it home.

"Let's go," Hermione announced, starting towards Theo and the direction the owl had gone in.

"How far are we from Weasley's?"

"Not far," she responded. "When we get there, there is to be no comments on their house, on their family, or about their lack of wealth. These people have treated me like family over the last few years, and you will not be rude to them," she ordered.

"Hermione, we're not Malfoy. Neither Blaise nor I were raised to treat others the way he does. If these people are your friends, then we will treat them as such, but if Weasley thinks he can just sit there and scream at you and we won't do anything about it, then he's delusional."

In a matter of moments, the Burrow was visible through the trees, with the wide space of the garden and the ramshackle house that looked as though it would fall down at any moment. Next to her, both Theo and Blaise gasped, suddenly knowing that Hermione hadn't been wrong to warn them against making fun of the Weasley family home. Ron was nowhere in sight, and so they opted to go up to the house.

They stood at the front door, Theo and Blaise one step behind Hermione as she knocked on it and waited for an answer. When the door opened, Molly's face was the first one they saw before she quickly pulled Hermione into a hug, though the hug was not as warm as she was used to.

"It's so wonderful to see you, dear. And who are these young men with you?" she asked after she pulled away, her eyes taking in Hermione's company.

"Mrs. Weasley, this is my brother Theo, and Blaise Zabini."

"It's nice to meet you, Theo, Blaise," she said, surprising Hermione by merely shaking their hands and not hugging them like was expected of the Weasley matriarch. In fact, if she were not mistaken, there had been a coldness to her voice. A coldness that Hermione had only ever heard before when she spoke of Fleur, and even Harry after the fallout between him and Ginny.

More than anything else, this coldness put Hermione on edge as she looked over to the woman. "Ron wanted to see me," she said, her own voice turning cool as she waited to be invited inside.

a/n Okay, so in this chapter, and especially the next chapter, is some ron and ginny bashing… the ron bashing will get better, but the ginny won't, just to warn you. Just please remember, they are all still teenagers, and even Hermione acts like one at times, lmao. It had been pointed out to me that molly acted this way to Hermione before, when the rumors of her and harry were all over the prophet, but I would like to also say that that was in the abstract- Hermione didn't have to deal with it face to face.


	18. Chapter 18 The Burrow

_"Ron wanted to see me?"_

**The Burrow**

"Oh, yes. I'll go get him for you," Mrs. Weasley answered, leading the three teens into the lounge, where Ginny happened to be sitting, reading a magazine. She glanced up when the others came in and her eyes widened.

Once Mrs. Weasley was out of the room, Ginny's eyes passed over Hermione and Theo, settling on Blaise. "Blaise, what are you doing here?" she asked in a syrupy sweet voice, batting her eyelashes like there was something in her eye, though Hermione thought it was intended to look sexy.

Ginny stood up and moved closer to Blaise, and he pressed closer to Hermione, who in turn pressed closer to Theo, who was making quiet retching noises in Hermione's ear.

"Umm, Ginny, I think you're scaring him," Hermione said as Blaise crushed himself against her in his plight to get away from the redhead.

"Shut up, Hermione. This has nothing to do with you," Ginny sneered. She had yet to be civil to Hermione since Harry broke up with her, blaming the older girl for turning Harry against her.

"Actually, it does," Blaise responded harshly, taking her hand off of his arm and placing it back in her lap, touching her as little as possible.

When she didn't take the hint, opting to trail her finger up and down his chest, he made a rumbling noise that sounded very much like a growl, sending butterflies to the pit of Hermione's stomach. "I suggest you remove yourself from my person before I am forced to do something drastic," he warned, his voice dangerously low.

Ron came into the room then, finding Hermione and Theo pressed against each other at one end of the sofa, his arm over her shoulder so it wouldn't get crushed between them, Blaise practically sitting in Hermione's lap, and Ginny stroking her finger down his chest. He cleared his throat, and the four teens on the sofa looked up at him. "I only asked to see Hermione," he commented rather rudely.

"Yeah, and we weren't going to let her come all on her own," Theo replied nonchalantly, staring Ron down while twisting a lock of Hermione's hair with his hand that was resting on her shoulder.

"Hermione, what I have to say to you is none of their business. Can you send them away?"

"I could, but I'm not going to. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of them," she responded, causing both Ron and Ginny's jaws to drop.

"How can you trust them like that?" he implored. "Hermione, they're Slytherins, you know that you can't trust a Slytherin."

"No, I can't trust _some_ Slytherins, just like I can't trust some Gryffindors, or some Ravenclaws or even Hufflepuffs. Theo is my brother. You may not like it, but that's how it is-"

"Package deal," Theo interrupted only to give a sharp groan when Hermione's elbow found itself connected with his side.

"Blaise is Theo's best mate, and if Theo trusts him, then so do I," she continued, bringing attention to Blaise. He, however, looked absolutely murderous as Ginny leaned over him, no longer touching him, but whispering in his ear and leaning over just enough for him to get a glimpse of her cleavage had he actually felt the urge to look.

"Fine, whatever," Ron said, glowering at the two young men flanking Hermione. "Ginny, please leave, this doesn't concern you," he told his sister, annoyed that she was throwing herself all over the black Slytherin.

"If they get to stay, I want to, too," she pouted up at her brother.

"Fine, you stay, we'll go," he said.

"I'll go," she harrumphed, standing up and leaving the room gracelessly with one last, longing look thrown in Blaise's direction.

Theo, Hermione, and Blaise spread out over the sofa once again, and Ron sat in the chair a few feet away that Ginny had vacated after their arrival.

"Seamus saw you in Hogsmeade yesterday," Ron said, his eyes never leaving Hermione.

"Really? I didn't notice. He should have come over and said hello," she responded, confused as to why the Irishman would have ignored her and Harry only to turn around and tell Ron.

"He was with his mum and he didn't feel very comfortable going up to you and Harry when you were with a group of Slytherins that he didn't even know you spoke to."

"That's interesting considering how much stock his mother has always set in the Prophet," she said, her annoyed tone conveying the bitterness she also felt.

"I think they stopped receiving it after it was proven that You Know Who was back," Ron said, defending his friend. "But that is beside the point," he continued and Hermione could tell that both Theo and Blaise wanted to say something to try and urge him to actually get to the point.

"Hermione, I'm your best mate, me and Harry, so why is it that he was invited to go with you and I wasn't?" Ron was obviously having a hard time controlling his words and his temper, but he knew that with her two 'bodyguards' on either side of her, it would be a big mistake to let loose on her like he wanted.

"Ron," she answered in a soothing voice, "I couldn't invite you because we really only did go out for a few hours and I was only allowed one person. We went to meet with Lilah, Savannah, and Daphne because they're going to help me out with all this stupid social stuff I've been roped into. Harry didn't want to be the only guy there, so Theo and Blaise came along," she told him, hoping the story they had prearranged for their parents would work for Ron as well.

"I invited Harry instead of you because he's less judgmental of other people than you are, and because I know you like me as more than a friend, but I only see you as a brother," she said as nicely as she could, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"Great, so that's all I am to you-a judgmental brother who you can't take anywhere. Merlin forbid I have an actual opinion on something, and not just what you want me to think," he replied, his voice getting both louder and harsher.

"Ron, that's not tr-"

"Just save it, Hermione! I don't want to hear any of your lies you use to try and make me feel better. You yourself just said that you don't care about me, so-"

"I did not say I don't care about you!" she responded with tears in her eyes, hitting the cushions of the sofa on either side of her for emphasis. "Just because I'm not attracted to you romantically, doesn't mean-"

"Leave," he cut her off again. "I really don't want to see you right now. Maybe when you stop attacking me, we'll talk again, but not right now while you can't see things rationally."

"Ron, just because I don't agree with you and don't think the way you do, doesn't mean that I'm not your friend, that I don't care about you," she told him, a slight pleading tone to her voice as the tears started to fall.

"Hermione, let's go," Blaise said after sharing a glance with Theo. The two stood up, and she followed suit, looking sadly over to Ron, who was looking at her, his eyes full of hurt, disdain, and anger.

Blaise put his arm around her shoulder and led her out of the house, whispering into her hair that everything would work out. Theo stayed behind, glancing over to his sister as she and his best mate left the room.

Theo turned to Ron, a look of loathing on his face as he stared into the taller boy's glowering face. "You may be _like_ a brother to her, Weasley, but I _am _her brother. If I ever hear of you making her cry again, I will make sure you understand the difference."


	19. Chapter 19 Confessions

**Confessions**

Hermione knew that Theo and Blaise wanted to talk to her about what had just happened at the Weasley's, but all she wanted to do was go to sleep. She was quiet as they walked through the house, and bid them good night when they reached the doors to her and Theo's bedrooms.

The next morning after breakfast, Hermione made her way to the kitchen to do the dishes. The house-elves were wary of her in the beginning, but they saw that she was far better at the task than her brother, and were even taken aback that not only did she not complain about it, but she seemed to be happy with the task.

That afternoon, Theo and Blaise found her on a blanket in the front gardens, taking in some sun and doing her summer homework. Blaise was staring at her long, bare, legs and was jerked out of his reverie by a glare and elbow in the ribs from Theo. He couldn't help himself, though; she was laying there in her short shorts and a small tank top, showing so much skin. It wasn't his fault that he was becoming even more infatuated with her every day that they spent in each other's company.

"Why did you defend the Weasleys yesterday?" Theo asked as he sat down next to her, getting straight to the point.

She closed her book after marking her page and sat up between the two boys. "Because I had always been treated like family there."

"You weren't treated like family last night," Blaise accused before Theo could.

"Maybe not, but it certainly looked as though Ginny would be happy to make you a part of the family," she bit out, her tone far from the teasing she had intended.

"Please, don't remind me, that was just vile," Blaise answered with a disgusted shiver while Theo narrowed his eyes at his sister. If he was not mistaken, she was just a little bit jealous at the thought of Blaise with Ginny.

"You're evading, Hermione. Last night you were not treated like family, and Blaise and I were treated as though we were not good enough to step foot in that monstrosity of a building they call a house. Why in the name of Merlin would you defend people like that?"

"Mrs. Weasley's never acted like that towards me before," she answered in barely a whisper, bringing her knees up against her chest and hiding her face behind her arms and mumbling into them. _"At least, not to my face,"_ she thought, thinking back to the Rita Skeeter articles that had her and Harry dating.

"Hermione, I can't tell what you're saying," Theo said, gently rubbing his hand on her back while Blaise crouched forward in front of her to try and see her face.

She peeked her face out, not looking at either of them. "She's never acted like that to me before... so cold. She wasn't happy that I took Harry's side over Ginny's, and she hasn't exactly been loving towards me since then, but she's still been warm, and nice. How is it she could accept me when I was a Muggle-born, but now that I'm not, she can barely even look at me? She was like a second mother to me for years."

Hermione's body was shaking from her tears as she let out her emotions, more upset at the way Mrs. Weasley had treated her than the way Ron had, which she had been expecting. Theo leaned against her, his hand still rubbing her back, though he didn't think it made any difference.

Blaise glanced up at Theo, then moved so he was seated at her feet, his legs spread so they were flush against hers. He draped his arm over his knee, his fingers resting on her back and his head sitting in the crook of his elbow. He was forced to look at her hair, as it was the only visible part of her head and completely blocked the bit of her face that wasn't buried in her arms.

"It will be okay, love. I promise," he murmured to her in a low, soothing, tone.

"You don't know that," she sniffled, looking at him from inches away through wet eyelashes.

"Yes, I do," he answered while Theo strained but still couldn't hear the whispered conversation.

"How?"

"Because you have your real mum and dad. You have the Grangers. You have Theo and Harry. And because you have me. Whenever you need me, for whatever reason, I'm here for you, too."

"That's very sweet of you, Blaise, but you don't have to say that," she whispered, giving him a wry smile.

"I know, but it's the truth," he told her, gently brushing away a stray tear.

"Thank you." She gave him a genuine, if watery, smile and tilted her head so it was touching his.

Theo cleared his throat, bringing their attention to him. "Is there anything you need? Anything we can get you?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head slightly as her hair bounced around her. "I have to owl Harry about Ron, though chances are he already knows. If he was mad at me for socialising with your friends, at least I have an excuse. Harry's probably received the brunt of his anger since he couldn't take it out on me."

"Why _did_ Weasley go off the handle like that?" Blaise asked, now sitting up straight and twirling a lock of her hair around his fingers, though he hadn't moved from his position.

"He probably feels jealous, angry, hurt, betrayed, and excluded. He has a hot temper. So did Harry for a while there, but Harry's managed to reign it in, while Ron hasn't.

"Why would _he_ feel betrayed? This has nothing to do with him," Theo commented, his steady gaze centered on Blaise rather than Hermione.

"For a lot of reasons, but he is still my friend and I don't really think he'd appreciate me talking about him to the two of you," she answered, her lips spread in a wry smile. Before either could protest, she stood up, using Blaise's knees for balance, and excused herself to her room to continue her reading.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Theo's eyes narrowed on his best mate. "Blaise, I know you've... had a thing... for my sister for a long time now, but why is it that all of a sudden you can't seem to keep away from her?"

"Is this your way of saying you want me to leave her alone?" Blaise asked in response.

Theo sighed and rubbed his hand against his forehead, his face slightly scrunched up. "Yes. No. I don't know. Blaise, just because I was never able to tell her she was my sister, doesn't mean that I haven't considered her as such." He paused for a moment, deciding to let Blaise in on a secret that only his father had known up until now. "Do you remember in fourth year, after the second task in the tournament, Krum sported a black eye for a week because glamours couldn't cover it?"

"That was you?" Blaise said, his jaw hanging slightly. "But Krum said-"

"Come on, do you really think Viktor Krum would admit that a fourth year gave him that shiner?"

"Why did you punch him to begin with?" Blaise asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

"It was the day we were working on that Charms essay in the library, and he wouldn't keep his hands off of her, even though she kept removing them. That evening, I found him alone outside. I went right up to him and punched him in the face before pulling my wand. I think he thought I was jealous of him and saw him as competition, but as far as I know he didn't get all grabby on her again."

"And so the moral of the story is that if I hurt her, you hurt me," Blaise said bluntly.

"Glad we're clear, mate. We should probably go dress, it's almost time for dinner."


	20. Chapter 20 The Provocation

new warning.... violence

The Faemin are Mistress Malfoy's creation, and are used here with her permission. If you want to know more about them, then read her fic 'The Seven Days of Saint Valentine.'

**The Provocation**

The rest of the week flew by, and soon Hermione found that Saturday had arrived. She was thankful that she didn't have to go to tea, but this week it was her father's turn to host the men's get-together. Her parents had had a minor tiff over whether or not she should go for twenty minutes or so in order to introduce her to everyone.

In the end, her mother had won with the argument that she doubted Hermione would be comfortable in such a setting. Caoilinn knew that quite a few of the men, including some from the younger sect, had been Death Eaters, but she didn't know how many of them Hermione would recognise either by face or voice. She would have to meet them eventually, but Caoilinn thought that now was not the time.

During the early part of the afternoon, Hermione watched as the house-elves Transfigured the ballroom into a set of rooms, all in mahogany and cream. One room held a few billiards tables, as well as card tables. Another was a smoking room with fancy ashtrays and plush furniture; a bar was in the corner that held elf wine, as well as high grade whiskey and bourbon. There were two other rooms, but neither looked to have any particular purpose other than socialising.

Half an hour before the guests were to start arriving, Hermione found herself walking to a secluded area of the back gardens she had found only two days earlier. It was a small clearing in a group of willow trees whose leaves almost reached the ground. In the center of the clearing was an old stone bench, well-worn from both the elements and centuries of use. All of the other benches on the property were no older than fifty years, and Hermione found this one to be positively charming. It was no more than four meters away from the white path, but it was barely detectable through the trees. The spot had quickly become her favourite part of the entire grounds.

She strolled through the gardens, her mind on the new friends she was making. She would have never guessed that she would become friends with a group of Slytherins, but she found that she didn't care what house they were in, only that they were good people. Daphne was quickly becoming the closest female friend she had ever had, and Savannah and Lilah were fun to be around. Well, at least when Lilah's tongue wasn't down her brother's throat.

And then there was Blaise. She didn't really have words for Blaise. Even after the one week he had been at the Nott's she would classify him as a good friend, and if she were honest with herself, which she tried very hard not to be, she would classify him as more than friends. He was flirty with her in a subdued way, with gentle touches that he could get away with in context of a given situation, and light teasing, but somehow it didn't feel the same as when Theo teased her.

Her relationships with her family were also blooming, and she was very glad of it. She and Brisco had come to terms with one another the other night when they had had a long talk, him telling her about his years as a Death Eater, and her telling him what it was really like to be Harry Potter's best friend. It seemed that things were finally falling into place in her new life.

She settled down on the bench, her legs straight out in front of her as she cast a Pillowing Charm on the armrest so it would be comfortable to lean against. She opened her book, and was soon lost in the world of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Two hours later, Hermione awoke with a start. She didn't remember falling asleep, but obviously she must have. The sun had set and the full moon was still low in the sky, hidden behind the trees. Once her eyes had settled into the darkness, she gave a low whistle, and in moments there was light streaming down from above her.

After she had gotten lost on the grounds a few nights earlier and had to get Brisco to find her by telling him what she was near, he had introduced her to the Faemin, or Illuminous Faerie. She would now never have to worry about the darkness while on Nott land.

A sudden noise made her jump, and she pulled out her wand. "Who's there?" she called out, expecting her brother or Blaise to answer. They had found her new spot yesterday and knew that they would be able to find her here over any other place on the grounds.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" drawled a voice that Hermione knew all too well. "Hasn't anyone ever told you it's not safe to be in the woods at night during a full moon, Granger?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it's not safe to go wandering about on other people's property?" she retorted.

Draco gave a low chuckle that sent a tingle up her spine before she gave herself a mental shake. She had never been afraid of Draco Malfoy, and she wasn't about to start. "Is there any particular reason you're here? You should probably be getting back to the house," she told him in a bossy tone.

"You actually think that I'm going to do something just because you said so?" he laughed, stepping closer as he started to circle her, her wand trained on him. "You and Pansy may have come to an understanding, but you and I never will. Do you want to know why, Granger?"

"Not particularly," she responded, seemingly bored with him, though she was incredibly curious to hear what type of tripe he would be trying to sell her.

"Granger, Granger," he taunted her, tsking and shaking his head, "You've never been able to lie, so you really shouldn't even try. But just this once, I'm going to tell you what it is that you want to know.

"We will never have any type of understanding between us because you are nothing more than the dirt beneath my feet. By some dumb luck, you may not be a Mudblood, but you are still Hermione Granger," he said, his voice cold as ice as he continued circling her, getting closer to her with every step he took and forcing her to turn in a circle so she could keep her wand, which was shaking in anger, trained on him.

"You are still an annoying, know-it-all little shrew, who thinks she's better than the rest of us who have actually grown up in the wizarding world. You still don't know the first thing about being a Pureblood, or how society works. In short, you are still nothing. Nothing but an insignificant little-"

"Are you done yet, _Draco_?" she interrupted, knowing that using his first name would annoy him. "I may not yet know how everything works, but I will, and sooner rather than later. It must really irk you that I'm a Pureblood. That my blood is just as pure, as untainted, as your own. In fact, we're probably related somewhere. How does that make you feel, Draco, knowing that no matter what you say to me, or to yourself, that I am your equal?"

He started to say something, but instead, she spoke over him. After all, he had had his turn. Now it was hers. "I am not insignificant, if only for one reason. You would not be here, wasting your time trying to put me down, if I were. In the grand scheme I may be nothing and no one, but to you, Draco Malfoy, I am not insignificant."

There was no time for her mind to catch up. One moment, she was unloading on him just as he had done to her, and the next he was right in front of her. She didn't see his wand until he was flourishing it at her chest, and she barely heard his hate-filled voice when he spoke the curse. _"Sectumsempra!"_


	21. Chapter 21 The Discovery

new warning... Violence --- and you may all hate me even more after reading this chapter, lmao. *evil cackle*

**The Discovery**

Blaise and Theo had left the Transfigured ballroom five minutes or so after Jacob Bones had seen Draco leave, it having taken most of that time to make his way across the room of men to where Theo was speaking with Alistair Hooper from the Magical Law Enforcement Department in the Ministry.

They didn't know where Draco would go, but decided to check on Hermione first, just to be safe. When she wasn't in her room, they knew that she was in her new favourite place.

They were almost there when they heard voices and knew that Draco had gotten there first. They ran towards the clearing, assuming that they would have to break up a small spat. What they saw when they entered the clearing neither was expecting, and it made their blood turn cold.

Hermione and Draco were standing less than a meter apart, her wand on the ground and his limp by his side, both with looks of pure shock and horror on their faces. Hermione was staring into Draco's eyes, her hands holding her chest as she shivered in the warm night, her face becoming a deathly pale. Her hands, as well as the entire front of her white peasant top, were covered in blood, and right before their eyes she slowly dropped to her knees, the quick blood loss draining the strength from her body.

"You fucking coward," she managed to whisper to her attacker before she fell to her side, faint from blood loss.

Draco was knocked out of his stupor as he knelt on the ground next to her, telling her that she had to wake up and that he didn't mean it. He didn't hear Theo and Blaise run up to them, Theo throwing himself on the ground next to his sister to look her over, but even in her unconscious state, her hands would not move from her wound.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" Theo shouted to Draco, who was now sitting on the ground a meter and a half away, rocking back and forth, shaking his head and muttering the same phrase repeatedly under his breath, as if it was the only thing he could think of, but couldn't say aloud.

When he didn't respond, Blaise turned his attention to Draco even as he continued to stroke Hermione's hair in an effort to get her to respond to him. He crawled over to the other boy until they were practically nose to nose. "Draco, tell us why you want us to get Potter and what you did to her before I put you in a condition far worse than the one she is in right now." There was no room for doubt in Blaise's voice that not only would he deliver on his threat, but he would do it tenfold.

"Sectumsempra," Draco whispered before repeating, "get Potter," his voice just loud enough to carry over to Theo, who gasped before his expression turned to granite.

"Lammy! Imisin! Epidia! Glippy!" Theo called out, and within seconds all four of the family's house-elves were in front of him. "Lammy, go to number twelve Grimmauld Place and bring Harry Potter here. Glippy, get as much Blood Replenishing Potion as you can from the potion stores. Imisin, Epidia, tell my mother and father that Hermione has been hurt very badly and they need to send everyone home but Lucius Malfoy, then bring them here as well."

The house-elves all looked at Hermione with wide, worried eyes before disappearing to follow their orders. Glippy was the first back, and Theo immediately poured one of the potions down her throat. "We should take her to Mungo's," Blaise said, his eyes watery with unshed tears.

"No! They can't help. Potter will know what to do," Draco said, paying more attention to what was going on around him and they had thought.

"Why are you suddenly obsessed with Potter?" Theo bit out.

Draco didn't answer him though, instead he just continued to sit on the dirt in the fetal position, his rocking never having stopped. Blaise had his wand trained on the blond, about to hex him for all the help he was being in the situation that he had created, when Lammy came back with Harry in tow.

Harry looked around the small clearing, taking in every detail. "What did he hit her with?"

"Sectumsempra."

"Fuck!" Harry swore. "Why the hell would you of all people choose that curse?" he yelled at Malfoy, though he didn't expect an answer. "Can your house-elf take me to Snape's?"

"No," Theo answered. "Snape's house is warded against house-elves. What does he have to do with anything?"

"It's his curse, he created it, and as far as I know, he's the only one who can heal it properly. Can your elf at least take me to the Apparition point?"

"Yes, that she can do. Lammy, take Harry to the Apparition point and wait for him and Snape to return."

Almost the exact second Harry and Lammy disappeared, Epidia arrived with Caoilinn, who practically fainted herself at the sight of her daughter. "What happened?" she asked, taking Blaise's place at Hermione's head.

"She and Draco were fighting and he cursed her. Harry's getting Snape now; apparently he's the only one who can help her."

"How would he know that?" she asked, her head clearing as the initial shock wore off.

"I don't know." Theo glanced over to Draco, but he didn't look as though he was going to rejoin the conversation any time soon. "Is there anything we can do to try and stop the bleeding without using magic?"

In response, Caoilinn moved closer to her daughter's wounds and pulled her slick hands away from them. Both she and Theo gasped at the wound, which was quite deep and started at her collarbone, crossing her old scar, and ending underneath her left breast, the cloth of her shirt having been cut open as well.

Caoilinn took her son's hands and placed them at the upper part of the wound before putting her own at the lower portion. "Gently apply pressure... not too hard... good," she said, having learned the Muggle technique during Brisco's Death Eater days. The wound was rather wide, and the feeling of the inside of Hermione's skin was almost more than either could take, but neither were going to stop in their efforts.

"Blaise," Caoilinn called, not knowing where he was even though he was kneeling right next to her, all of her attention on Hermione.

"Yes," Blaise responded, letting her know where he was.

"Can you conjure a warm blanket for her, she's getting cold."

Within seconds, Blaise had a thick blanket with a Warming Charm covering her from the waist down.

"Thank you. Please conjure one for Draco as well, I think he may be going into shock," Caoilinn requested, her eyes never leaving Hermione's wound, which was still bleeding, though not quite as badly as before.

Blaise wanted nothing less than to do anything that could help the person who cursed Hermione, but he did as he was told, feeling at a complete loss that he couldn't do more.


	22. Chapter 22 Options

*descriptions of where Snape lives taken directly from HBP chapter 2 Spinner's End.

**chapter 22 Options**

Harry appeared on the top of a riverbank, looking over a line of old, rusty railings and across a crumbling, cobbled street to rows and rows of dilapidated brick houses. He wasted no time taking in the scenery, though, instead he started running towards his destination, knowing there was no time to lose.

He followed the maze of streets until he reached the last house on the street named Spinner's End; the only house in the row that had any lights on at all. Harry went up to the door and banged as loud as he could to be sure that the house's lone occupant would hear.

A moment later the door opened by a smidgen, and was then pulled open just enough for a backlit silhouette that could only be Severus Snape. 

"To what do I owe the displeasure of your presence at my door, Potter?" Snape snarled at him.

"Malfoy cast the Sectumsempra on Hermione, she's bleeding really badly," Harry answered hurriedly as he pushed past Snape and into the tiny, dark, sitting room. "Will you help her?" he pleaded with his hated professor, the worry that Snape would say 'no' plain in his eyes.

Snape had waited for this moment for decades; the moment when a Potter would beg before him, and it was a travesty that he could not savour the moment. If what the boy was saying was the truth, then Hermione Nott could very well be dead by now.

"Where?"

"Nott Cottage. Lammy is waiting for us at the Apparition point."

Snape didn't wait for Harry to say anything else, and he didn't say anything in return. Instead, he spun on the spot, disappearing with a loud 'crack.' As soon as Harry realised that he was alone in the Potions Master's house, he quickly exited the house and went back to the cobbled street and out of Snape's wards before Apparating away, no longer worried about being seen.

Harry arrived at the Nott's only seconds after Snape, and was met not by Lammy, who had taken Snape to Hermione the moment he had arrived, but by Glippy. The elf brought Harry back to the clearing, which was now rather crowded. Snape was leaning over Hermione, his wand tracing the wound as he said the song-like countercurse. Caoilinn was kneeling on one side of Hermione, her hands and robes soaked in blood, and Theo was on the other side of the prone figure in much the same state. Brisco was standing slightly back, a look of worry etched across his hard features. Draco was still seated exactly where he had been, covered by a blanket, his father's hand on his shoulder. Blaise was seated on the stone bench, his gaze shifting from fear and worry as he looked at Hermione, to loathing and murderous when he glanced at Draco. Huddling together in the shadows, waiting to be called upon, were the family's house-elves as they watched the scene play out.

It was a macabre scene, and in many ways it seemed far worse than the worst battle from the war because this time it was Hermione. This time there was not the excuse of war, of dark versus light, good versus evil; there was only the temper of a spoiled adolescent who had just reached his majority.

Harry wanted to go to her but she was already being overcrowded, so he sat next to Blaise on the stone bench, joining him with his death glares. The two watched intently as Snape wiped away the staunching blood and restarted his countercurse, the skin knitting back together underneath his wand.

The entire gathering watched with bated breath as Snape helped Hermione to sit up after his third time performing the countercurse. "If you don't want to bring her to the hospital, she needs to stay in bed, resting for at least three days, and she needs to walk there; she cannot be Apparated. As soon as she is inside and comfortable, put Dittany on the wounds to help with the scarring and make sure she takes two doses of Blood Replenishing Potion."

Caoilinn nodded her head as she and Theo helped Hermione to stand. Caoilinn, Theo, and Brisco seemed to have a conversation with only their eyes, and after a few moments, Caoilinn started moving out of the clearing and towards the cottage, supporting much of Hermione's weight while all four house-elves followed attentively, should either woman need them.

The seven men stood there staring at each other, their faces ranging from fury to blank. Eventually the silence was broken by Lucius. "If it is no trouble, Brisco, I would like to take Draco home and have him checked out by a Healer. Rest assured, he will be severely punished," he said, his fingers squeezing into Draco's shoulder. "I hope that we can settle the matter without having to call in the Aurors."

"I bet you do," Harry interjected, stepping towards the Malfoy patriarch before Theo and Blaise pulled him back, Blaise's hand covering his mouth to keep him from saying anything else.

"I will speak to Hermione in a few days and see how she wants to deal with the situation," Brisco answered with a coldness that had never been directed at his old friend before. "Let me walk you to the Apparition point."

With a nod, Lucius followed him out of the clearing and to the white path, Draco following him. Theo found it hard to tell if the other boy was still in a daze, or petrified at what his punishment would be. Snape followed them, intending to have a talk of his own with Draco.

Once they were out of hearing range, Blaise took his hand away from Harry's mouth. Harry rounded on Theo and Blaise. "What did you do that for? He can't just get away with almost killing Hermione!"

Theo and Blaise glanced at each other before Theo took a deep breath. "He won't," Theo responded as they started walking back to the cottage. "This is how it works in most pureblood households, Potter. If whatever indiscretion that occurs doesn't happen in public, it is settled by the families, only calling in the Ministry if there is no other option."

Harry started to interrupt, but Theo cut him off, continuing with his explanation. "Why do you think the Malfoys and Weasleys hate each other so much? Yes, a part of it is because the Weasleys are considered blood traitors, but most of it is because of the past. Several generations back, Scipio Malfoy became so enraged that his intended, Anabelle Parkinson, chose Walter Weasley over him that he raped her and consequently impregnated her. 

"Walter, of course, had the child drowned at birth. He could have kept to tradition, and decided upon a punishment for Scipio, but instead he turned him into the Ministry, who put him in Azkaban for a span of fifteen years. The dementors weren't at the prison at the time, but the guards were far harsher on the inmates than the dementors could dream of being. By the time he left Azkaban, Scipio was insane. He would have bouts of extreme violence, but between those occurrences he was practically comatose. In the end, his father had to kill him for everyone's safety.

"Since that time, the Weasleys have harboured hatred for what the Malfoys did to Annabelle, and the Malfoys have hated the Weasleys for what they were forced to go through with Scipio."

"That's terrible and all, but it must have happened at least eighty years ago. Why would they hold a grudge that long, either of them?" Harry asked, clearly disturbed.

"That's how it is, Harry. There are families who have hated each other far longer for far less."

"Okay, so if Hermione decides to have Draco taken in by the Ministry, it will start one of these feuds between your family and the Malfoys?"

"Yes," Theo responded. "Hermione's other, and more preferable, options start with challenging Draco to a duel. If she did this and either of them ended up dying, that would be the end of the matter. There would be no charges filed, and there wouldn't be a feud between the families. She can also come up with a punishment for Draco that is equal to the damage he caused her, or she can just let it go and let Mister Malfoy decide how to punish Draco."

"Those are shite options," Harry mumbled.

"You may think so, but it's how we live," Blaise replied. "Besides, the Ministry can be bought. Shacklebolt may be working on cleaning it up, but there's always someone willing to take a bribe, so there's the chance that Draco would get away with it scot free. This way, at least we know he's been punished properly."

"And you two intend on just letting it happen like this?" Harry asked, trying to understand.

"We'll talk about it later," Theo commented as they neared Brisco, who was walking back from the Apparition point. "I'm sure you'll be staying the night. I think you, Blaise, and I should start to get to know each other a little better. Once Hermione is asleep for the night, we'll go to my room." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Brisco joined them and the four solemnly made their way down to Hermione's room.

end note... Scipio is an ancient Roman general and Walter is my great grandfather... I couldn't use my grandfather because both of their names are already used in canon! Annabelle I thought was a name that the Parkinson's would use.


	23. Chapter 23 A New Trio

(short chapter)

**A New Trio**

Despite Hermione's weak protests, it was two hours later and after she was soundly asleep that she was left alone in her room, though there were new wards up to alert everyone should she be in physical distress.

Harry had long earlier Flooed Sirius to let him know that Hermione was all right but he would be spending the night, just as the Notts had owled the Grangers telling them that Hermione had had an accident and was injured, but would be fine and that her adopted parents could come and see her the following day.

It was after midnight when Harry, Theo and Blaise retired to Theo's room, sprawled out over his king-sized bed and sofa. They were quiet for a while, the night's events taking the time to sink in now that they had the opportunity to think and not react.

Eventually, Harry spoke, his curiosity obvious through his tiredness. "Okay, so you couldn't say anything when your dad was there, but we aren't going to just let this slide, right?"

"Of course we aren't going to let this slide, Potter," Theo said, reverting back to the name the boy was referred to in Slytherin house. "But we can't be all Gryffindor about it; waltzing up to Draco and letting him have it won't work."

"Technically this is Hermione's fight, and we aren't allowed to be involved at all. It's never stopped anyone, but we can't do anything that can be traced back to us," Blaise elaborated.

"Why not? I mean, what happens if we are found out?"

Theo and Blaise exchanged a look, and Theo shrugged before Blaise answered. "Well, mostly just the honour of the family would be at stake because it implies that the person wronged can't handle the situation for themselves. More importantly, or just as importantly, depending on how you look at it, is that I really don't think Hermione would be very happy to learn that anyone intended to do anything to hurt someone else on her behalf."

"You have a point there," Harry responded as he lolled his head around on the back of the sofa, looking up at the ceiling. "And I, for one, never want to find myself on Hermione's bad side. She can be one of the scariest people I have ever met."

Once again, Theo and Blaise shared a look, but this time it was out of confusion. They had seen that she had a spiteful side to her, but they had yet to see anything from her that would make Harry Potter of all people place her amongst the scariest people he knew.

"What are you talking about? Hermione may not always be the nicest person, but the word 'scary' has never come to mind when thinking about her," Theo said.

"Then you have yet to get to know her. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll eventually agree," Harry grinned.

"Aren't you going to give us an example?"

"Nope. But back to the subject at hand. So we can't do anything obvious; what can we do?"

"It depends a lot on what Hermione chooses. I hope we can convince her not to call the Aurors," Theo said, running his hand through his short hair.

"That won't be a problem," Harry told the two sceptics. "She may enjoy the rules, but she knows when to break them. She just doesn't break the small rules. Once she knows why going to the Ministry would be bad, she'll be fine with it. She won't call him to a duel; she's good but she doesn't know how good he is. I'm sure she'll choose his punishment, I just don't know what she'll have him do."

"Then I guess we'll just have to wait for her decision before we make plans," Theo concluded, glancing over to Blaise, who was laying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, lost in his own thoughts. "Blaise, you okay?" Theo asked, poking his friend in the arm.

"What? Yes, I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"Hermione." Theo rolled his eyes and Harry looked at him suspiciously.

"What about Hermione?" Harry asked. He had noticed Blaise's eyes follow Hermione around, and seen flashes of jealousy cross the other boy's face whenever Hermione was close to another male, himself in particular.

Blaise glanced over to Harry, who was now leaning forward on the sofa, his eyes narrowed. "Potter, I have, for lack of a better word, wanted Hermione for a very long time. But for that bit of time where we didn't know if she would make it, I can't even tell you how scared it made me. It made me realise that I care for her. A lot. It's no longer the image of her that I had built up that I want, not after spending time with her this past week. I want her. The real her, with her weaknesses and strengths, with her insecurities, her courage, her grace."

Blaise stared into Harry's eyes, trying to convey the sincerity of his words, ignoring the surprise that was shown in Theo's. If anything, this declaration put Theo to ease a little, knowing that his friend was seeing his sister for who she was, and that he wouldn't expect from her the little things that he had projected into her personality before he had spent any time with her.

Harry slowly stood up, keeping Blaise's gaze as he slowly strode across the room, stopping at the edge of the bed. By the time he was there, standing next to where Blaise sat, both Blaise and Theo were tempted to cower back a bit. Harry's aura was pulsing violently, though they couldn't tell whether or not he was making it happen.

"Blaise, you seem like a good guy, and I hope that we can become mates. That said, Hermione isn't just my best friend. She is my family. And if you do anything to hurt her, anything at all, you will wish you got off as easily as Voldemort."

"Understood," Blaise said, holding out his hand. Harry took it and the two shook hands, Harry's aura settling back down.

The next hour was spent talking about all the things guys talk about, Theo filling Harry in on the newest developments in Lilah's plan, and Harry telling them about his own burgeoning relationship, making them promise to keep it a secret until after he told Hermione.


	24. Chapter 24 The Punishment

There are descriptions of the Unbreakable Vow that I took directly from canon-- chapter 2, Spinner's End, in HBP.

**The Punishment**

Five days later, and after two visits from Snape to check on the progress of her healing, Hermione was finally allowed to go out and about without any physical restrictions.

Blaise had been allowed to stay for a second week, and had spent a large portion of that time with Hermione, trying to keep her spirits up. Theo was often there as well, and Harry, Lilah, Savannah, and Daphne had stopped by see her.

The Grangers had spent most of the afternoon with her on Sunday. She had been very happy and touched that the Notts had invited them over for her, knowing that they were jealous of the Muggles, even though the situation was of their own making.

At precisely two o'clock that afternoon, Hermione found herself in Brisco's study with her biological parents and all three of the Malfoys. Theo and Blaise had been banned from the entire floor of the cottage, and were anxiously waiting in Theo's room for a promised blow-by-blow from Hermione of everything said.

Everyone was in dress robes, including Hermione, only hers had a plunging neckline, the end of a thick, white scar peeking out from under the fabric covering her right breast, courtesy of Dolohov. On her left side was a light scar that ran from her collarbone down, disappearing under her robes. She wanted them to see what he had done to her and that the scar would always be with her, though the Dittany had lightened it considerably.

Once the pleasantries had been exchanged, Brisco brought the topic to the reason for the meeting. "Caoilinn and I had a rather lengthy talk with Hermione and, after deliberating for a few days, she has decided upon her retribution."

"Before you tell us what it is," Draco interrupted, and Hermione noticed a twitch in Mr. Malfoy's eye, "I just wanted to tell you that I am sorry... Hermione. I never should have cursed you, especially with that particular curse. I may be many unpleasant things, but 'killer' is not on that list." Draco glanced over to his father before turning back to face her. Lucius' eye was twitching just the slightest bit more, anticipating what his son was about to say. "I hope that you can forgive me."

Hermione just stared at him for a moment, processing what he had just said to her. "Forgive I can do, Draco," she answered after a slight pause, his name falling awkwardly off her tongue. "But I will never forget what you did to me," she continued, trailing her fingers along the scar he had given her for emphasis.

"That's all very well indeed, Miss Granger, but we, as his parents, are more concerned about the retribution you have planned for Draco," Mrs. Malfoy said, her nose upturned as she sneered at Hermione with distaste and brought the conversation back on topic and away from her son's guilty feelings.

Hermione couldn't help but give a small smirk. "My parents explained to me why it wouldn't be advisable to involve the Aurors, though I wasn't really planning on it to begin with. Draco was just as surprised as I that he had cursed me so badly, and I sincerely doubt that the Minister would let him off with just a slap on the wrist. Also, he doesn't deserve to go to Azkaban for making a stupid choice; well, not for this stupid choice.

"I am not going to simply let him off the hook, because I don't feel as though I should. And I am certainly not going to challenge him to a duel, which leaves a punishment of my choice that will not cause him more harm than he caused me. I took my time in deciding on a fitting course of action, and I like what I chose, especially since, as I understand it, he can't say no," she said, building up to her decision, wanting to make him sweat a bit.

"I have decided that my retribution for Draco nearly killing me will be simple. He has to be nice to me and Harry Potter until we leave Hogwarts next year. He doesn't have to go out of his way to be nice, that would be disturbing; he just can't make snide comments, ridicule either of us, instigate others to ridicule us or join in when they are, or talk badly about us whether we are there or not. Also, there will be no cursing, hexing, or otherwise using magic against either of us."

Draco looked at Hermione, disgust clearly showing on his face. "I have to be nice to you and Potter? Wait... not Weasley?"

"No. Ron is not included in this agreement. Your families have a mutual hatred, and I have no intention of stepping between that. The deal is solely for myself and Harry." At this, a glimmer of respect passed across both Lucius and Draco's faces, but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared.

"Does Potter know about this?"

"He'll find out soon enough, and I have every intention of making him follow the same rules. Voldemort is dead; there's no reason for outward hostilities, and it is so much easier to be nice to people than not. Who knows where life will take us, we might as well put aside our childhood grievances now.

"Draco, I by no means want to be friends with you, or anything else of the like, but it isn't too much to ask for us to be cordial to one another, especially since we'll apparently be running in the same social circles now."

"Miss Nott, your decision is not only highly acceptable, but rather generous. It is well thought-out and inspired by mature thinking. Thank you for not making this rather upsetting situation worse by resorting to physical retaliation," Mrs. Malfoy said demurely, her earlier dislike of the girl quickly put aside.

"Mrs. Malfoy," she responded, smiling, "believe me when I say that I thought very much of physical retaliation, but in the end, I knew that Draco hadn't intended to cast that particular curse; usually when spells are exchanged between us, the intent is to humiliate, not to harm. Also, as I am sure you are aware, it is human nature to watch your enemies closely, and Draco has been considered an enemy by me and my friends for many years. I am sure that he would quickly shrug off any physical violence I caused against him. This punishment, however, will force him to change his behaviour in what I consider to be a favourable manner. I think that it may benefit him in the long run, but meanwhile, I take most of my satisfaction in knowing that it will kill him to have to be nice to Harry and me. I may not be causing him any physical harm, but I am causing him a sort of mental torture."

Draco was glowering at her, knowing that she was exactly right, but Mrs. Malfoy simply smiled. She had been trying to get her son to give up on his petty rivalry for years to no avail, and now he would have no choice in the matter. She just hoped that when Draco left Hogwarts the following summer that he would have matured enough to keep the past where it belonged and move on as a more mature young man.

"You, young lady, should have been sorted into Slytherin," Lucius said, a high compliment from any Slytherin.

"So I've been told," Hermione grinned back.

"Hermione, Draco, please kneel down facing each other," Brisco ordered them, now that all of the details had been hammered out.

Hermione and Draco knelt on the ground facing each other, and clasped their right hands together, Brisco's wand tip resting on their linked hands. "Do you, Draco Malfoy, promise to adhere to the punishment that I have laid out for you tonight, following every stipulation named?" Hermione asked.

"I do," Draco said, and the two watched as a thin tongue of brilliant flame came out of Brisco's wand and wrapped around their clasped hands like a red-hot wire, binding Draco's promise to Hermione.

Once the ritual was finished, the two teens stood up and stared at one another, each hoping that Draco could keep to his Vow. She hadn't wanted to force him under penalty of death, but it was tradition to take an Unbreakable Vow, and to both her parents and the Malfoy's, tradition must be kept.

"Will you be joining us for supper?" Caoilinn asked, her voice making it clear that the invitation was out of propriety and not because she wanted them to stay. Since the situation had been handled properly, there would be no feud, and she would continue to be friendly with Narcissa, but she did not want her daughter's would-be killer in her home any longer than necessary.

"Thank you, but no. Lucius has business to take care of, so we really must be on our way home," Mrs. Malfoy answered, and the Malfoys took their leave, escorted out of the house by Imison.


	25. Chapter 25 Quicksilver

**Chapter 25 Quicksilver**

That night, Hermione, Theo, and Blaise met up with Harry, Daphne, Lilah, and Savannah at a playground in the centre of town. It turned out that Hogsmeade had a rather active night scene. They walked through the streets to Dinsdale Road, where all of the towns businesses that stayed open past nine were located. The town had decided to keep them all together in hopes that it would keep any ruckus contained, and that people in the town could choose if they wanted to live in a quiet area, or closer to the business centre.

As they were walking, Hermione told them about the punishment she had set for Draco. Most of her friends found it funny, but Harry looked at her, affronted. "You didn't have to bring me into this, you know. Now he'll just hate me more."

"Harry, you know that's not possible," she joked, putting her arm around his shoulder. "Really, though, what good would it do to just have him be nice to me? Chances are he was already under those orders, not that it made a difference. I want him to suffer a bit, and you know as well as I do that it will be far harder for him to be nice to you than to me. Why do you care what he thinks, anyway?"

"I don't," Harry sighed. "I just don't like giving people actual reasons to dislike me."

"Then you don't have a problem," Theo commented. "Since Hermione's the one who's making him do it; he's aware that you didn't know what she was planning."

"How?" interjected Savannah curiously.

"He asked," Hermione replied, shrugging her shoulders.

They soon arrived at _Quicksilver_, a club that was only open to witches and wizards between the ages of sixteen and nineteen. This was the second time Harry and Hermione had been there, and Harry had liked it immediately. Though there were the stares from those who had never seen The Harry Potter, and an occasional person asking for an autograph, they were largely left alone. Most of the other people there had gone to school with them for at least a few years, and were used to them being around.

The group found a table and ordered their drinks as they continued talking. After a short while, Harry stood up in front of Daphne and gave a mock bow. "Milady, would you care for a dance?" he asked, his lips quirking upwards no matter how much of a straight face he tried to keep.

She giggled as she batted her eyelashes, laughter filling her eyes. "I would be delighted, kind sir," she responded, holding out her hand for Harry to take.

"How about it?" Theo said to Lilah, who was curled up against his side, nodding to where a large group of teenagers were gyrating to the beat of the music.

"Why not?" she said, letting him lead her to the dance floor, following in Harry and Daphne's wake. Hermione watched her friends go with a smile on her face, not noticing the look that Blaise was giving Savannah.

"I think I see Terry over there. I'll just go over and say 'hi'," Savannah said, wiggling her eyebrows at Hermione, who was well aware of her friend's crush on the Ravenclaw.

Hermione laughed as Savannah got up and made her way across the crowded room before she realised that she was all alone with Blaise, who had moved into the seat next to her under the guise of not being able to hear over the noise.

"I'm going home tomorrow," Blaise said, almost idly, as he watched for her reaction.

"I know," she responded, tilting her head. "Thank you for staying and keeping me company while I was getting better."

"What else would I do? I had to be sure you were going to be alright," he told her earnestly.

"Well it was very sweet of you nonetheless."

"Hermione, I'm a Slytherin. We don't do sweet," he told her, half-jokingly.

"Oh really? What do you do then?" she asked with a playful smile, moving closer to him as the club seemed to get even louder.

He put his arm around her shoulders and leaned towards her, his breath tickling her neck. "We are ambitious, and we do sneaky, and sly, to fulfill our goals," he said into her ear, low enough that she had to strain to hear.

His free hand was tracing patterns up her arm, and she shivered at his light tough. She turned her head just enough to see the side of his face. "And what are your goals?"

He moved his hand up to her chin and tilted her face so she was looking straight at him, and without missing a beat, he leaned in, catching her by surprise when their lips met. He pulled away quickly, but despite how short the kiss was, she could feel his desire, his need for her, and the capacity amazed her. He nuzzled their noses together, his eyes searching hers, all of the background noise fading away for both of them. "You."

She paused for a moment to remember what they had been talking about. "I'm your goal?"

"You are," he responded.

"And do you always get what you want, Blaise?" she teased, though in her gut she knew that she was already his, the kiss having reaffirmed her feelings. She had finally admitted to herself that she was attracted to him, and then Draco had cursed her. Blaise had been by her side the entire time she was recovering, and her attraction had deepened into something more.

"I do," he smiled deviously before kissing her again, finding her mouth open to him.

His tongue invaded her mouth, and she welcomed his caresses with her own. They came apart only when breathing became an issue. The smile on his face only wavered when he saw the serious look on her own. "Where do we go from here?" she asked quietly.

"Where do you want to go from here?" he asked carefully, not wanting to push her, taking into consideration what had happened the last time he had kissed her.

"How about a date?" she proposed, her timidity surprising him.

"A date sounds good," he responded. Before either could say anything more, Harry and Daphne came back to the table and their bubble shattered, the noise became louder, and she noticed people staring while Blaise glowered at everyone, not liking being interrupted.

"Hermione, you finally admitting to your crush on Blaise?" Harry laughed.

She glared at him even as the arm around her shoulder started to shake with Blaise's laughter. "I don't know what you're talking about, Harry," she replied loftily, causing Daphne to fall into a fit of giggles. "And I see the two of you are rather cozy. When did this happen?" she asked, turning the attention away from herself.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Hermione," Harry mimicked, sitting down, his own arm draped around his girlfriend. Hermione shot him a death glare and he grinned at her. "Last week. I was going to tell you, but then the thing with Malfoy happened, and it never seemed like the right time."

"To tell me that you're dating someone. Harry, you're my friend, and, so long as you're happy, I'm happy for you."

"Same to you," he replied, smiling at her and then Daphne. In return, she smiled back, cuddling into Blaise's embrace.


	26. Chapter 26 Evaluations

**Evaluations**

The next two days passed for Hermione in a bundle of nerves and excitement. Daphne had come over and the two girls had made a day of it; their easy rapport had amazed Hermione, who was used to being the only girl amongst many guys. The other day, she had spent time with her family, visiting Caoilinn in her greenhouse, and later talking with Brisco about various books in the library.

It was on Monday, three days after going out to _Quicksilver_, that Hermione was in her room, getting ready for her date with Blaise. She had gotten a blessing as well as a warning from Theo. Brisco seemed to be upset, as though he hadn't realised that raising a teenage daughter would entail something like letting her go out on dates rather than keeping her in a cage and away from boys. She often thought, though, his biggest problem was that she had already broken the rules by having Blaise in her room with the door closed, and he was afraid of what the future held.

Caoilinn, on the other hand, was absolutely ecstatic for the match, and hoped it would work out and last past the courtship stage. If it hadn't been for the fact that Theo was a boy and they hadn't wanted anyone to know about Hermione, she would have had one of her children betrothed to Blaise long ago. Socially, it would be a good match, and personally, Zarina was amongst her closest friends, so she couldn't ask for better in-laws for her only daughter. She had been pleased when Zarina had mentioned Blaise's crush on Hermione years ago, not knowing her true relationship with the young witch, but she had expected it to fizzle out quickly, the way teenage lusts will do.

When Blaise arrived at Nott Cottage, Brisco pulled him into the library to have a "chat." After they had settled down into their chairs, Brisco swirled his bourbon around in his glass. "Blaise," he said conversationally, "you have been a regular fixture in this house since before you could walk, and I have often viewed you as a son.

"That said, and no matter how new the current situation is, Hermione _is_ my daughter. You will treat her with only the utmost respect."

"Brisco, that is one matter you can rest assured on," Blaise interrupted. "I have never treated Hermione with anything other than respect in the entire time I have known her. The first few years I knew her, I didn't care for her either way. But, whereas her intelligence put many people off, resulting in them ridiculing her, eventually I came to respect her for the dedication she put into her work.

"Many people saw her as stuck up or a show off, but I always thought that she was just trying to be the best student she could be. I could see that she took joy in sharing her knowledge, not to prove that she was smart, but to help others learn. Actually, I think she'd make a rather good professor someday," he mused, coming to a halt, realising that he had been rambling. It wasn't something he often did, and only in company he was comfortable with, but he still felt embarrassed at his inability to shut his mouth.

Brisco looked at the teen, slightly amused, as well as taken aback. He had known that Blaise had been enamoured with his daughter; it was one of the reasons he had been so strict about him. He had also not expected the teen's feelings to run so deeply, which he judged not by Blaise's words, but by his voice and his face as he spoke them.

Satisfied that Blaise was genuine in his motive for courting Hermione, Brisco nodded his head slightly and stood up to escort Blaise to the lounge to wait for Hermione. They were about to leave the room when Brisco put his hand on Blaise's shoulder, stopping him.

"One more thing, Blaise. If you are to ever do something that you know may hurt my daughter, either physically or emotionally, I want you to think about me." Brisco's voice was hard and threatening, and it caught Blaise's attention in a way that nothing else had during their conversation. "I want you to remember that while I may not have wanted to continue my reign as a Death Eater, my mark was not for show. If it was, I would not be alive right now."

Understanding his meaning, Blaise gulped audibly and nodded his head. "Yes, sir," he responded, "but I have no intention of doing any such thing."

"Good. I suggest you keep it that way."

~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~

Blaise was relieved when Hermione entered the lounge five minutes later. He had never been so uneasy and nervous in his second home before, and he hoped that things didn't stay that way. He assumed it wouldn't, and that the feelings just came from being in the room with both Caoilinn and Brisco, waiting to take their only daughter out on her first date since moving in with them.

When she entered the room, he breathed in sharply. He had always found her pretty, but today, she was beautiful. She wore minimal makeup; he wasn't even sure she was wearing any, but he thought she was wearing some sort of eye makeup because their brilliance seemed to jump off her face and it made him smile to be caught in their trap. Her curls had been tamed into an updo, held by a series of silver sticks with a purple rose on each end. She wore lilac robes in a light fabric, and it swished around her as she walked, the sheer sleeves ending at her elbows.

He stood up and bowed slightly to her, brushing his lips ever so slightly against her knuckles. "You look amazing," he murmured to her, and her cheeks stained pink as she smiled up at him. The teens both looked over to Hermione's parents, and, after a nod from Caoilinn, excused themselves.

"Where are you taking me?" Hermione asked as they walked hand in hand down the front path to the Apparition Point.

"You'll see soon enough," he teased, slowing his gait.

"Blaise Zabini," she huffed, pulling him forward. "You are not going to make me wait longer by walking slower."

"Are you sure about that?" At her glare, he grinned and walked faster, matching her pace. When they were in the copse of trees, he pulled her to him, holding her tightly, and disappeared.

"You brought me to a library?" Hermione asked, amused, as she looked around the room they had reappeared in.

"No," he answered. "This is the first stop- my house. Our destination has only one means of arrival. While it is linked to the Floo system, it is warded so that access is only allowed from this house."

"That's rather complicated," she commented.

Blaise just shrugged his shoulders as he led her to the large fireplace that was the centerpiece of the wall farthest from where they were standing. He took a handful of Floo Powder, and held her hand with his free one. They stepped into the fireplace and disappeared into the green flames, the echo of Blaise's voice calling out "Chez Asmaoui" following them into the fire.

It seemed to Hermione that they were travelling across the grates for an eternity, but finally they arrived at their destination, and they stepped out into a large indoor courtyard.

The first thing Hermione noticed was the difference in the air. It was hot, but crisp, not even the barest hint of the mugginess they had left in England. She looked around the courtyard and quickly sucked in her breath. The stucco walls had been painted a muted yellow; the floor tiled in a geometric pattern with the blue, yellow, and white tiles continuing onto the fountain that was in the center of the yard. There were rounded archways to various rooms on every wall, each door beneath them painted a bright blue.

"Where are we?" she breathed in awe.


	27. Chapter 27 The Date

**The Date**

"Sidi Rbat- Morocco," he answered. "In the house my mother grew up in. Come with me," he said, taking her hand back and leading her to one of the blue doors at the back of the house. It was a sitting room, with beautiful fabrics and woods.

The most breathtaking part, though, was the view. There were two large windows facing the Atlantic Ocean, showing a vast sandy beach stretching out as far as she could see. Surfers were in the water, and there were people on the beach, playing in the surf.

"Shouldn't there be more people on the beach, or is it private?" Hermione asked, noting that considering the excellent temperature the beach was fairly sparse.

"No, it's public," he told her, "but very hard to get to. Do you want to go check it out?"

"I don't have a suit with me," she responded, turning from the window to Blaise, who was standing right behind her.

"That's okay. I told Theo where I was taking you, and he had Lammy procure one for you; as well as some of your other clothes in case you wanted to change. It will cool down after the sun sets."

"You are such a Slytherin," she said, giving him an 'I should have known' look.

He chuckled as he led her to the guest room where all of her clothes had been put, before he went to his own room to change into his trunks.

She met him back in the courtyard, a towel wrapped around her torso, the silver sticks out of her hair, having secured it in a bun with a rubber band. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?" she accused him with a glare.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he responded through his chuckles.

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about- you had Lammy choose the smallest swimming costume that I own, and no others, so I wouldn't have a choice in the matter." Her arms were folded over her chest, and she gave him her best severe look.

"Well, it sounds like something I would do," he replied, his lips curved into an inviting smirk. "And with all that skin that's sure to show, you're going to need quite a bit of lotion. Would you care for some help applying it?"

"No, I think I've changed my mind about the beach. I'm just going to change into one of the sundresses that Lammy picked out." She turned around as quickly as she could so he couldn't see the smile on her face, and slowly started to walk back towards the guest room.

"Hermione, I'm sorry," Blaise said, reaching out for her arm. "I didn't realise it would make you so uncomfortable. If you want to wear one of my shirts, I can go and get one for you."

She turned back around so she was facing him and stepped in close, touching her lips gently to his, the kiss surprising him. "No, I'll be fine; I just don't want you to assume anything in the future," she said. "Though I could use some help with that lotion... but only on my back. I can reach everywhere else."

Blaise kissed her in return, light, fluttering kisses that barely touched their lips together. "Are you sure?" When she smiled and nodded her head, he continued through his kisses. "Well...I admit...I'm not as talented as you...and I will need considerably more help."

He pulled away from her, walking to an ornately carved sideboard, and pulled out a bottle of sun lotion. She took off her towel and laid it on the sideboard, then took the bottle from him. She paid him no attention as he goggled at her nearly naked form, rubbing the lotion into her skin and making sure to get her face and ears.

When she had finished, she handed him the bottle wordlessly as she turned around. She soon felt his hands rubbing the warm liquid over her back, shoulders, and neck. He massaged it into her, and she felt the loss of his skilled fingers when he was no longer touching her.

She turned around and found that it was her turn to goggle at him. This was the first time she had ever seen him without a shirt on, and she couldn't help but wish wizarding culture was closer to that of Muggles, and would be accepting of him going without his shirt more often.

"Hermione," Blaise cleared his throat, "I'm up here." Hermione immediately covered her face with her hands, mortified to be caught gaping at her date, even if he had done the same to her. He pulled her hands away and grinned at her red face. He then put the lotion bottle in her hand. "My turn," he said as he wriggled his eyebrows before turning around.

Her blush deepened as her hands glided over his back and shoulders. His skin was silky soft, and his muscles rippled under her touch. When she finished, she reluctantly pulled away and stepped back, putting some distance between them.

"Ah, ah, ah," Blaise admonished, turning to face her. "I told you, I need more help than just my back, and I meant it. How could I possibly rub myself down when I have such a beautiful woman here to do it for me?"

Hermione had quickly become convinced that her face would never turn back to its natural colour so long as Blaise had his shirt off, and his compliments did nothing to help the situation. It was one thing to be complimented on academics, but she didn't think she would ever get used to being complimented on her looks.

She stood there blushing, until Blaise took one of her hands in his, and squirted a liberal amount of lotion into it before he put the bottle down. He then rubbed her hands together, and placed them on his chest. He had to coach her at first, but eventually she was working the lotion into his dark skin in earnest. It wasn't until she reached his slightly rippled stomach that she noticed the growing tent in his trunks.

"You can finish yourself," she stammered as she quickly stepped back and away from him.

"Are you sure?" he asked, invitingly.

She unconsciously licked her lips as she glanced down to his trunks and back up. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay, but only since you insist," Blaise said, not wanting to push her too far, too fast. He quickly finished applying his lotion, and grabbed his towel.

Just before they left the house, he opened one of the many blue doors and entered the room. Hermione tried to peek her head in, but he came out of the room just as quickly, not wanting her to peek at his surprise until he was ready. He was holding a green surfboard under his arm and had a big grin on his face. "I am going to teach you to surf," he informed her with a wink.

"Really? I wouldn't have pictured you surfing... or playing any other Muggle sport for that matter. Well, maybe rugby," she mused as they made their way to the water.

"If you recall, my family was neutral during the war. My mother is well respected within her circles, but she refused to take a stance either way, and, since I was still a minor and under her guardianship, I wasn't forced to make a decision of my own... I would have chosen your side, though," he concluded quietly, having sensed the question he knew to be on the tip of her tongue.

She didn't answer him, instead she looked up at him, and he was somehow afraid that he would fail to measure up to whatever it was that was in her mind. Eventually, she smiled softly at him and nodded her head once.

The lesson went on for an hour and a half, and by the end of it, she had ridden a wave for an entire fifteen seconds before she had lost her footing and fell into the water. After the gruelling lesson, she decided that this must be how Blaise kept in such good shape; she had certainly never heard the word 'exercise' pass through either his or Theo's lips.

They each took a separate shower when they returned to the house, and changed into fresh clothing. Blaise escorted her to the kitchen, where they prepared a light dinner of salad and chicken.

"How do you do that on a regular basis? My whole body aches," Hermione moaned, sinking onto a sofa once they had cleaned up after their dinner.

"You get used to it," he replied as he picked up her feet and sat down. They talked as he massaged her feet and calves, and they both drifted off to sleep, exhausted from their time in the ocean.

~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~

"HERMIONE JEAN NOTT!"

The booming voice jolted Hermione awake, and she kicked Blaise in the stomach as she sat up straight, frantically looking around for Brisco.

He, Caoilinn, and Zarina were in the doorway of the room. Caoilinn had her arms folded over her chest as she watched the two teens scramble to their feet, while Zarina quickly covered her smile, and gave them a very stern look.

Brisco, on the other hand, stood with his feet squared with his shoulders, glowering at them, though more so at Blaise than Hermione.

"Merlin, I'm so sorry! We fell aslee-"

"Hermione, I do _not_ want an explanation right now. You were supposed to be home forty-five minutes ago, and instead you and Blaise were asleep in MOROCCO!"

Caoilinn moved forward, resting her hand on her husband's arm as she kissed his shoulder. He calmed down a bit, but his face was just as stormy as when she had first seen him in the room. Zarina was now standing with her son, her face still expressionless as she whispered into his ear.

"But-"

"No buts. Your mother and I were worried sick. We didn't know where you were, or if anything had happened to you and Blaise."

"But, Daddy!" The entire room went still as she clapped her hands over her mouth, each person shocked at what she had called him.

"Hermione, we are going home now. We will talk about this in the morning. At the very least, though, I can guarantee that you and Blaise will not be alone together for quite some time."


	28. Chapter 28 Reconcillation

Two weeks had passed, and Brisco had been as good as his word. Hermione had not been allowed out with Blaise for the entirety of the first week, and when they had finally been allowed to see each other on the second week, Theo was always there with them. Luckily for Hermione, though, Lilah was also there. She had finally told her parents about Theo, using the story they had decided upon: While they had known each other and had been friends for years at school, they had started dating after Lilah had started spending time with Hermione.

Lilah's parents had taken the news better than she had expected, but they had also placed strict rules on their daughter and Theo. They, also, were never allowed alone, and when they were at Lilah's house, which her parents preferred, Theo wasn't even allowed on the floor where the bedrooms were.

The Monday before the Quidditch World Cup, Hermione was shocked by the letter that was awaiting her when she arrived home from the Moon's, where she, Savannah, and Daphne had been working on their summer Charms work together.

It was sitting in the middle of her desk, her name emblazoned on the front in familiar, cramped handwriting.

She sat down in the chair and stared at the rolled up parchment for a moment before she broke the wax seal and opened it up.

_Hermione,_

_Let me first say that I am sorry for how I have been treating you over the last month, it has been completely childish and unfair of me._

_There is a lot that I would like to talk with you about, but I would prefer that it be just the two of us. If it would make you more comfortable, we could meet somewhere neutral, so neither of our families will interfere. Just let me know the time and the place, and I will be there._

_I miss you. _

_Your friend (hopefully),_

_Ron_

Hermione blinked at the words on the parchment, trying to make sense out of them. She had missed Ron very much over the past month, but she had done her best not to let anyone know. Her brother and Blaise hadn't liked Ron to start with, and thought that she was better off without him. The only person who had had a chance of understanding was Harry, but he and Ron had kept up their friendship, though slightly strained, so she didn't think he would be the best to confide in. She had told Daphne everything, though, and the other girl had done her best to make Hermione feel better.

She lay on her bed and stared up at the ceiling as she decided what to do. Eventually, she went back to her desk and penned her own letter before she could change her mind.

Three hours later, Hermione found Brisco and Caoilinn in the library, talking companionably while digesting their supper. Since the incident two weeks previous, Hermione had been very careful to call her father only by his given name. After she had called him 'daddy,' she had felt guilty, like she had betrayed the man who had raised her, and she didn't want the word to accidentally slip again. He hadn't acted any differently towards her because of it either, but she had seen the hopefulness in both his and Caoilinn's eyes that she was really starting to accept them as her parents, and not just the people who gave her life.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to The Leaky Cauldron. I should be home within a few hours."

"And just who are you going there with," Brisco asked, his eyebrow raised.

"I'm meeting Ron there," she answered, though she rushed ahead when she saw that both of her parents would object. "He wrote me a letter, apologising for how he's been acting, and he asked me to meet him so we could talk."

"And he chose The Leaky Cauldron?" Caoilinn asked, distastefully.

"No, I did. Please don't tell Theo or Blaise. The last thing I need is for one of them to come barging in and ruin things. Ron has been my friend ever since I entered the wizarding world, and I don't want to lose him."

"We can allow that," Brisco answered after an exchanged look with his wife. "But I expect him to come by tomorrow night so your mother and I can meet him."

"Thank you," Hermione said as she gave each one of them a small hug. "I'll be sure to tell him."

Hermione was almost out of the room when she heard Caoilinn's voice call out to her one more time. "Be sure to be home by midnight."

"Of course," she responded as she left the room. Another punishment that had been forced upon her was having her curfew shortened by an hour, though it hadn't made much of a difference, since she mostly went out during the day.

She met Ron outside The Leaky Cauldron and they went inside to get a table. He looked relieved, like he thought that either she wouldn't show up, or that she would once again bring Theo and Blaise.

They sat in an awkward silence until after they ordered their food. "I'm sorry," Ron blurted out. "I was an arse to you, and I have no excuse for it. You and Harry are my best mates, and I don't want that to change. And.. Well… I miss you," he stammered.

"I've missed you, too, Ron, and I don't want things to change between you, me, and Harry, either. And I'm sorry, too. I should never have thrown your feelings for me in your face, especially in front of Theo and Blaise. I was mad at your Slytherin comment, and neither of us really listened to what the other was saying."

"You're right, we weren't. I was upset that you didn't make them leave, but if they weren't there, we probably would have fought more, and worse things would have been said. And I was mad that you could become so close to them so quickly. You know how I was raised to think that all Slytherins are bad. I'm only now just coming to realise that that type of belief isn't much better than the prejudices of the Death Eaters, and I'm sorry that I let their House decide my opinion before I got to know them."

"That's kind of surprising, but thank you. I can understand where you were coming from, but they really are good people, and I wanted you to see that. The two of them, along with Daphne, Lilah, Savannah, and even Harry, have all made this transition easier for me. It's the weirdest thing, suddenly being embraced into their society, and I'm still not very comfortable with it."

"Yeah, sometimes I wish my family had more influence, the way the families who aren't considered blood traitors do, but then I think of all those stupid social functions, and I'm happy to not be a part of it," he said, before changing the subject. "So… about Blaise. I hear you're dating him."

"Yes," she replied. "He really is a good guy, Ron."

"You said that earlier. He hurts you at all, and he'll have to answer to me."

"Get in line," she said, rolling her eyes. "I appreciate everyone's concern, but it leaves me feeling that we either have to stay together forever, or that I'll have to be the one to break things off, with no reason whatsoever, or else every male I know will cause him some sort of physical damage."

Ron laughed in response. "I would say the same thing about Ginny, but I don't really think it would come to anything. I may want to be well-known, respected, and maybe have some more money, but I want those things to happen because I worked hard and earned them," he said earnestly. "She wants those things, but she seems to think that marrying a rich wizard will make her happy. I just feel sorry for the bloke she does end up with."

"She can't be _that _bad," Hermione said, though she remembered how Ginny had acted toward Blaise. "It may just be a phase," she continued hopefully, wanting the best for Ginny, even if they were no longer friends.

"No, I don't think it is," Ron answered sadly. "The worst part is that Mum and Dad don't see it. They think she's still a little girl, but I think that she changed for the worse when she was taken in by that diary her first year at Hogwarts, and that

it's just starting to really show."

"Oh, Ron, I'm sorry," Hermione said, reaching out to touch his hand.

"Don't be," he replied. He was saved from having to say something else on the matter, which had become uncomfortable, by the arrival of their food. They both started to eat, but continued to talk between bites.

"I wanted to see you after Harry told me about what happened with Malfoy, but I was afraid that you wouldn't want to see me. Actually, Harry had to stop me from finding him and hexing him into next year," Ron said, slightly ashamed of the admission.

"Oh, Ron," she responded after swallowing her bite of potatoes. "I'm sorry you felt that way. And I'm sorry I couldn't include you in my punishment of Malfoy. You're probably going to get the brunt of his frustrations taken out on you next school year. If your families just didn't like each other, I would have included you in a heartbeat, but I'm not going to get in the way of a blood feud, especially when I was trying to avoid one of my own."

"That's okay, Hermione, I understand. Besides, Harry has to be nice back, and I have no such restrictions. I think I got the better end of the deal," Ron laughed, a glint in his eye that Hermione missed as she started to laugh with him.

They had finished eating and were almost ready to leave when Hermione remembered that she had to invite Ron over the following day.

"Ron, do you have any plans for tomorrow night?" she asked cautiously.

"No. Why?"

"Well- and I'm sorry about this- but Brisco has insisted that you come over so that he and Caoilinn can meet you."

"I suppose I can do that," he said with faint trepidation. "What time do you want me there?"

"How about seven, that way you can be spared having to sit down for dinner; it's absurd- we have to wear dress robes to dinner every single night!" Hermione paused for a moment, as though she were considering something, but then she continued on, having made up her mind.

"Also, if you don't have any plans for Thursday or Friday, I have an extra ticket to the Quidditch World Cup, if you want to come. We're going the day ahead, but Viktor sent me tickets to the 'Friends and Family' box. We'll be sitting with Theo and Harry; my parents have their own seats."

Ron's jaw had dropped. 'How-" he squeaked, before clearing his throat. "How do you still have an extra seat? Don't you have plenty of people who would want to go with you?" he asked, dumbfounded and excited at the same time.

"Well, as I said, my parents have other seats. Mr. and Mrs. Moon won't allow either Lilah or Savannah to go. Daphne is going with her own family, and Blaise is being forced to go with his mum and her newest boyfriend. We're all going to hang out the night before at the campground, but we'll be going to the game separately. So… do you want to go?"

"Of course I do! Just let me talk to my parents and I'll let you know tomorrow. Is that okay?"

"Of course," Hermione responded. They then embraced each other in a short and awkward hug, and left their separate ways.


	29. Chapter 29 The Tirade

Happy Christmas, everyone!!! And yay!!! My brother and his girlfriend got engaged!!!

**Chapter 29 The Tirade**

Hermione arrived home well before her curfew, and was almost to her room when she was accosted by Theo. "Where were you?" he asked curiously, and with a bit of concern. "Mum and Dad wouldn't say, and you didn't respond when I wrote to your contact card."

"Oh," she said distractedly, "I left the card in my purse and I didn't even know you had written to me."

"So, we're avoiding the question, then?" Theo responded cheekily.

Hermione bumped him with her shoulder playfully. "Promise not to get mad?" she asked, as he followed her into her room.

"If you have to ask, then absolutely not."

She glared at him, but knew it was best to tell him as soon as possible and give him some time to get used to the idea of Ron coming over the following day. She sighed as she sat on her bed while he stayed standing. "I was at The Leaky Cauldron, working things out with Ron."

"You what?" he responded incredulously. "Why would you want to do that? He's treated you like shit ever since you found out about us."

"I haven't exactly treated him any better," she argued.

"But, Hermione," Theo urged.

"No buts, Theo. Ron is my friend. It isn't unusual for him to stop talking to either Harry or me for months at a time. I hope he grows out of it sooner, rather than later, but it's how he's always been. Eventually, he gets over whatever was bothering him, and everything is fine again. I am not going to stop being Ron's friend."

Theo glared at her, unhappy with this turn of events. "At least I don't have to deal with him that often," he said, flopping backwards on the bed from his standing position. Hermione started to chuckle, and he looked at her wearily. "What?" he asked.

"Ummm, so Ron's coming over tomorrow night at Brisco's request, and I invited him to come to the World Cup."

"You are joking, right? You did not invite a Weasley to the Cup, where I will have to spend at least a full day with him."

"Theo, overall Ron is a good guy, and I want you to give him a chance." Theo lay there for a minute or so, staring up at the ceiling, and Hermione began to wonder if he would ever say something back. "Theo?" she prompted.

"I'll try," he sighed. "But if he starts anything, I won't make any promises about my reaction."

"Thank you, Theo. He won't start anything," she said, and leaned over to give him a quick hug.

"Now all you have to do is get Blaise to behave. Good luck with that one," Theo grinned, as he stood up and left the room.

*

The next evening, Ron arrived at Nott Cottage with Harry by his side, hoping for strength in numbers. Hermione met them at the Apparition point and led them to the house. Ron was surprised at how cosy it looked, compared to the pretentiousness many of the other pureblood homes exuded.

Hermione and Harry tried to calm Ron's nerves over meeting the Nott's, but it didn't really work too well; all he could think was that he was about to meet with a Death Eater in a social capacity. He knew that neither Harry nor Hermione were yet comfortable with the fact, but they had come to terms with it. He just hoped that he could as well.

When they reached the house, they were met at the door by Caoilinn, who smiled invitingly at them, but Hermione noticed that it didn't quite reach her eyes.

*

"Why on earth did you treat Ron like that? I wasn't expecting you to be warm and fuzzy, but I did expect you to at least be nice. He came here because YOU wanted to meet him, and because he's my friend. You had no right to invite him here only to treat him like shit!" Hermione exploded as soon as she had arrived back to the sitting room from escorting Ron and Harry to the Apparition point.

"Hermione," Brisco said, trying to be soothing, but instead the one word sounded more placating than anything else.

"Don't you even think of patronizing me!" she snapped. This time it was Caoilinn who tried to calm her, resting her hand on Hermione's shoulder. Hermione jerked away and crossed the room, glaring at Brisco. "I'm waiting for an answer," she told him icily.

"He is a blood traitor," Brisco finally ground out between clenched teeth, his brow raised. "He is poorly bred, and he can barely hold an intellectual conversation. He does not deserve my respect."

"You pompous, arrogant, arse!" Hermione railed. "Just because Ron's family isn't the wealthiest, or the most proper, does not mean that he is poorly bred. He may not have been raised amongst fancy social functions, but he was raised with a lot of love, and that is far more important.

"You say that he can't hold up an intellectual conversation," she continued, shouting over both of her parents, each of whom had tried to interrupt her tirade. "But of course it hasn't occurred to you that perhaps he is intimidated by you. Brisco, you are a scary person! For Merlin's sake, you were a bloody Death Eater! Why the hell wouldn't anyone be at least a little afraid of you, especially when you're treating them like the dirt beneath your shoes?

"I've been treated like that from the day I entered the Magical world, all because I was believed to be Muggle-born. Now, just because it turns out that isn't true, people act like they're my friends, and that I belong with them, as a part of their special little group. But you know what? It doesn't make the past disappear! I remember how I was treated by those exact same people, and I WILL NOT have you treat my friends like that."

At this point, Theo, who had been sitting on the sofa the entire time, was staring up at her, shell-shocked. Caoilinn had moved to stand behind Brisco, her hands resting on his shoulders as he watched his daughter vent her frustrations on him, in a tirade that was long coming, though he had hoped they had worked everything out between them.

"One more thing. What makes Ron a blood traitor? Is it that his family refused to bow down and follow a HALF-BLOOD SYCOPHANT? Because, if that's the case, then I'm glad that I was brought up within the wizarding world with his family. And if they're blood traitors, THEN SO AM I!!!!"

She whipped around and stalked out the room, stopping just long enough to quickly turn her head back. "I'm going to Blaise's. I'll be home tomorrow." In less than five minutes, she had an overnight bag packed and had Apparated to Blaise and Zarina's, hoping that she wouldn't be turned away.


	30. Chapter 30 Disgruntled

**Chapter 30 Disgruntled**

As Hermione strode up the walk in front of Blaise's house, her anger ebbed slightly and made room for the fear that she would be sent back home. If that happened, she would go to Harry's; she wanted to go to her adopted parents', but she knew that they would just send her back. They never were ones to walk away from an argument, and they would want her to go back and try to resolve everything. She was still too angry to even consider that, though.

Just before she got to the door, Blaise opened it and held it for her. Once she was inside and the door was closed, he took her overnight bag from her hand, dropped it on the floor, and gathered her in his arms. She melted into him, and the two stood in their embrace until Zarina interrupted a few minutes later. Caoilinn had Flooed to tell her the situation, and she wanted to be sure that Hermione had arrived safely.

"Hello, Zarina," Hermione said through her sniffles. "I'm very sorry to impose like this, but I was really hoping that I could stay the night. I fought with Brisco, and-"

"It's quite alright, dear," Zarina interrupted. "Your mother let me know what's going on, and you are perfectly welcome to spend the night here. Dipsy is setting up one of the guest rooms for you as we speak. Would you like anything to calm you down? Tea? Cocoa?" She led the teens towards the kitchen, smiling to herself. While she wasn't happy that Hermione and her parents had rowed, she was delighted that this was the first place Hermione had thought to come.

"Cocoa would be lovely, thank you," Hermione responded. It didn't matter the weather, a nice mug of hot cocoa could always manage to soothe her nerves.

While Zarina ordered the drink, as well as a mug for her son and some biscuits, Hermione sat down at the small round table. Blaise pulled up a chair so he was right next to her, and then put his arm around her shoulders so she could rest her head against him.

Zarina sat across from them and rested her hands on the table. "Would you like to talk about it?" she asked.

Hermione had already told Blaise about her reconciliation with Ron, and while he wasn't happy about it, he supported her decision to stay friends with the redhead, but she reiterated the story to Zarina as the sweets arrived. Then she launched into their meeting that night, and Brisco's deplorable behaviour towards her friend and the ensuing fight, or rather, how she blew her stack at him.

She was still rather upset, but she felt slightly better after talking about it, and both Zarina and Blaise agreed that Brisco should have treated Ron better, especially since he was the one who had invited him over in the first place.

After a bit of talking about anything other than why Hermione was there, Zarina stood up and took the empty biscuit plate to the sink. "Blaise, if you would show Hermione to her room, the house-elves have already taken up her bag. Also, I had them charm all the entryways so the two of you can only be in the kitchen, the sitting room, and the library together. Every other room will only allow one of you in at a time."

Blaise's jaw dropped at the lengths his mother had gone to to make sure they wouldn't be alone in a bedroom. Instead of commenting, though, he nodded his head and took his and Hermione's mugs to the sink. He then showed her to her room and left so she could change into her pajamas while he did the same.

They met back up in the sitting room; Blaise sat down on a sofa and Hermione stretched out, resting her head on his lap while he played with her hair.

"You know you have to apologise to your father, right?" Blaise said quietly. When she didn't say anything, he took his hand from her hair and tilted her face so she was looking at him. "He was wrong in how he treated Weasley, but you could have talked it out rather than blowing up at him and running here instead of facing your problems. Not that I'm not happy you're here," he added, a devious smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

"I know," she sighed, interlocking their fingers and bringing his hand down to her lips. "But really, why is that the Weasleys are considered blood traitors? It can't be because they didn't follow Voldemort; that was just an excuse to look down on them."

It was Blaise's turn to sigh. "I don't think you're going to like the answer," he told her.

"That doesn't mean that I don't want to hear it," she responded.

"Then let me start by saying that I have never had problems with Muggle-borns; I judge people based on who they are rather than their blood, but being in Slytherin, it's not something that I generally advertise. Though the Weasleys are purebloods, it is not by breeding, but by chance. They are blood traitors because they would just as soon marry Muggle-borns as purebloods."

"That is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard in my entire life," Hermione said as she sat up.

"I told you that you wouldn't like it," he said, leaning over and gently kissing her, his hand caressing her cheek.

"That you did," she said between kisses before she pulled slightly away. "You're trying to distract me, Blaise Zabini," she accused.

"Is it working?" he asked with a smirk.

"Nope," she replied with a sly smile. "Definitely not distracted."

"Really? What were we talking about then?" he asked, his thumbs running up and down her neck and shoulders.

"We… were talking… about blood," she answered, gasping as his head lowered to gently trail his tongue after the path he was making with his thumbs.

"Mmmm, then I guess I have to work harder," he purred into her throat, his breath hot on her skin. He brought his lips back up to hers, and gently licked along the seam of them. She opened for him, and his tongue invaded her mouth. Fleetingly, she wondered how he had become so skilled in the art of kissing before quickly deciding that she didn't want to know, and lost herself in him.

She leaned back into him, and he smoothly looped his arm under her leg and repositioned her so that she was straddling him. He rested his hands on her arse as her arms encircled his neck, their kiss deepening even further.

His erection pressed against her through their thin cotton bottoms, and he gently rocked his hips to cause more friction. In response, she undulated against him, holding in a moan as his lips left hers and made their way south until he was hunched over, sucking on her hard nipple though her shirt.

Suddenly they were wrenched apart by magic, and the sound of Zarina clearing her throat seemed to reverberate through the room. Hermione immediately covered her face with her hands, having turned beet red in embarrassment, while Blaise gave his mother a disgruntled look.

"I think it's about time for the two of you to head off to bed. _Separate_ beds," Zarina pointedly said. She wasn't in the least bit surprised at what she had walked in on, though. After only having been able to see one another with a chaperone, she would have been more surprised if they hadn't tried something when they were finally left to their own devices.

"Let me walk you to your room, Hermione," Blaise said softly, still glaring at his mother.

She nodded her head, and they stood up, holding hands. Hermione followed behind Blaise, her face buried in his back as they passed Zarina, unable to look her boyfriend's mother in the face after what the woman had just witnessed.


	31. Chapter 31 Understanding

Chapter 31 Understanding

The next afternoon, Blaise accompanied Hermione home, but when she went to find Caoilinn and wait for Brisco to come home from work, he made his way to Theo's room, where he found his best mate working on some of his summer schoolwork.

When Brisco arrived home, Hermione was waiting for him in the library. He walked into the room and was surprised to find his somber-faced daughter sitting straight-back in the chair she had claimed as her own.

"Hello, Brisco," she said softly. "We need to talk."

"Yes. We do," he responded as he sat down in his own chair.

"I'm sorry that I blew up at you and left before we could talk things through like rational adults. I acted childishly, but I still believe in what I said, and that you were wrong in how you treated Ron. I just should have let you explain yourself further while actually listening, rather than jumping down your throat."

"What made you realise this?" he asked, ignoring most of what she had said for the moment.

"I knew it to begin with, but Blaise calmed me down and helped me to see where I went wrong. But just because I was wrong, doesn't mean that I wasn't right as well," she said pointedly.

"No, you were not wrong in what you said to me, just in how you said it. Hermione, I _am_ your father, even if deep down you still do not want to accept that fact, and I expect you to treat me with respect, especially in my home.

"You were right about how I treated the Weasley boy. I may find him… distasteful, but I am the one who extended an invitation for him to come here, and so I should have been a better host. I will do my best to treat him better in the future."

"Thank you, Brisco, that is all I ask," Hermione responded with a hopeful smile.

"Just one thing, Hermione. Every time you get upset with me, you bring up the fact that I was a Death Eater, though you know that the majority of my service was under duress. I thought that you had come to terms with that, but it appears that you haven't.

"We have had many in-depth conversations on the subject, and I have told you everything you asked, even if I didn't feel it was appropriate. I do not know what else I can do to help you."

"Neither do I," she responded in a small voice as she gazed at him. It was true that they had spoken of the subject many times before, but she had never seen Brisco so candid before. Nor had he given her any indication that he had given her as much information as he had in order to try and help better their relationship. She had thought that he had told her everything she asked because he knew she wouldn't give up until he did.

"Your mother and I have decided that we want you to see a Mind Healer at least once or twice a week. We feel that it would be beneficial for you to have someone to talk to who will be impartial, who will help you with no agenda other than just helping you to see things clearly- however you want to see them. Your friends, myself, your mother and Theo, and even the Grangers, have our own notions, and no matter how much all of us want to help you through this transition, we are all biased in some way, and that does not help you in the long run."

"You're sending me to a shrink?" Hermione asked, surprised. She hadn't known where this conversation would lead to, but she hadn't expected this at all.

"A shrink?" Brisco asked, confused.

"Oh, sorry. It's Muggle slang for a psychiatrist. In the Muggle world, the doctor isn't allowed to repeat anything I say to anyone, unless I were to confess to killing someone or something like that. If I went to a Mind Healer, would they be able to share what we talk about, or would they have to keep it confidential?" she asked.

She may not have expected her parents to bring up such a subject, but if what she said would go no further, she was willing to give it a try. Brisco was right- she did need someone to talk to who wasn't emotionally involved with her situation.

"From what I understand, Mind Healers are under the same restrictions as their Muggle counterparts, only with harsher penalties for breaking their patients' confidences."

Hermione let out a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. "Alright. I'll talk to a Mind Healer," she said. "But I make no promises on continuing if I don't like it."

"That is perfectly fine," he responded. "I am sure your mother will be glad to hear that you agreed at all. We were both expecting you to turn the idea down flat."

"I won't say that it wasn't a thought," she said seriously, "but I do think it's a good idea. We'll just have to wait and see if I'm comfortable talking to a stranger about my problems."

"I am glad we had this talk, Hermione. I would have preferred it to happen last night, and in the future, no matter how upset you are, you are to stay here. There will be no more running away from your problems," Brisco told her as he stood up and helped her out of her chair. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," she agreed, before impulsively giving him a small hug- just a short squeeze around the midsection, but a hug nonetheless- before she scurried out of the library.

Brisco sat back down in shock. Not only had the conversation gone far easier and better than he had anticipated, but Hermione had never before hugged him; she had hugged Caoilinn and Theo before, but she had never seemed comfortable enough with him to do the same. At the risk of sounding mushy- even if just to himself- that one hug made him happier than he had been in quite some time.

"Imisin!" Brisco called his elf to him. The small creature arrived immediately, ready to serve his master.

"How can I serve you, Master?" Imisin asked, obviously happy that he had been called upon.

"Find Blaise and bring him here," Brisco ordered. He did not have to wait long, Imisin having taken him at his words and Apparating Blaise back to him rather than walking with the teen.

"Thank you, Imisin, you may go back to what you were doing." The elf bowed deeply and disappeared, leaving a very confused Blaise standing in the doorway. "Blaise, come sit."

Once Blaise was seated, Brisco sat and watched him for a moment, making the teen squirm. It was barely noticeable, but said many things to the man, who was skilled in reading body language.

"I will have to thank your mother for taking Hermione in last night, though we have spoken and she will not be going to your house, or anyone else's, the next time she is upset. I do hope that nothing untoward happened while she was there?"

"There was not much of a chance of that happening, sir. My mother had the house-elves charm all but three of the rooms to only allow one of us access at a time," Blaise hedged.

Brisco smiled at the answer; he knew that it was deliberately misleading, but he decided to leave the subject alone for the time being. "I think I may choose to follow her example in that, it is a rather smart idea," he chuckled, even as he planned on sharing the idea with Roger Moon.

"But to the reason I called you in here," Brisco said, turning serious. "I wanted to thank you for whatever it was you said to Hermione to calm her down. I know that when she left last night she was very upset, and there was nothing she would have allowed her mother or I to do to help her. I am glad that she has friends who can help her where her family cannot."

"Thank you, sir," Blaise responded, overwhelmed. He had been friends with Theo for his whole life, and Brisco was the only constant father figure in his life, but the man had never said anything so personal to him. There were many purebloods who would be caught dead before they would share their gratitude to anyone other than blood, and Brisco had always been one of them. Idly, Blaise mused that perhaps the destruction of the Dark Lord had even more of an effect on the people than had been assumed.


	32. Chapter 32 Nott Guilty

Chapter 32 Nott Guilty

It was with slight trepidation that Ron and Harry arrived at Nott Cottage the next afternoon. Hermione had assured them that she and Brisco had spoken and everything would be fine, but neither were convinced. They were met at the door by her house-elf, and Ron shook his head in amusement. After all of the time Hermione had spent on spew- er, S.P.E.W., he found it hilarious that she had her own house-elf.

"Thank you, Lammy. I can take it from here," Hermione said as she appeared in the doorway. In response, the elf gave a curtsey and disappeared.

They were barely in the door when Brisco's booming voice came from the ballroom. "Hermione, please escort your friends to the ballroom." Hermione looked at her friends and rolled her eyes. He had already told her three times to store their things there, and she hadn't forgotten.

"Put your bags over there," she said as she pointed to the pile that the Nott's had ready to go.

"Good afternoon, Harry," Brisco addressed, "Mister Weasley." Ron turned to face him, looking slightly scared, but with his back straight and defiant nonetheless. "I must apologise for how I treated you the other night. You were a guest in my home at my behest, and I should have been a better host. You are one of my daughter's closest friends, and while I am indifferent to whether you care for me or not, for Hermione's sake, I hope we can at least be cordial, if not even amicable."

Ron, for his part, was shocked at this olive branch. He had been hoping for the man to just ignore him at best. The idea that he would apologise hadn't even occurred to him. "I think I can handle that," Ron replied, taking the outstretched hand for a firm handshake.

"We'll be leaving for the Portkey in half an hour, so you kids be back here in twenty-five minutes; and Hermione, please stop to remind Theo of the time. We'll be meeting the Belby's there, since they are the only other family in the area with tickets, and we do not want to be late."

"Yes, sir," Hermione responded, pulling her friends from the room.

They ended up joining Theo in his room, where they talked excitedly about the Cup, and the party that would be going on in their tent that night.

"Though, if Viktor hadn't sent tickets, there would be nothing that would get me to go," Hermione commented. "There is absolutely nothing that could get me to sit anywhere near Dolohov."

The three boys exchanged a look, but it was Harry who spoke. "Hermione, have you been reading the Prophet lately?"

"Well, not every day and not front to back. Why?"

"Dolohov is dead," he informed her. "He was found last week in his home." Harry sounded as though he was hesitating to say more, but with one glare from Hermione, he continued on. "He was tortured before he was killed, but there was no evidence at all to point to who his murderer might be."

"So… he's really dead; it was really him?" she asked. She was relieved, but also felt guilty that she was relieved over someone's death, even if it was Dolohov.

More pressing, though, was the fear that she knew exactly who had committed the gruesome murder. "Ron, Harry, can you go to my room for a few minutes? I need to talk to Theo alone."

Ron looked disgruntled at the request, thinking that she should prefer to talk to her friends after news like that, but Harry silenced his protestations with a look as he shooed Ron out the room while he followed behind. As Harry had had the same suspicions since he had read the article, he knew why she wanted to speak to her brother.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked lowly, her eyes boring into his.

"It was in the paper, for all I knew you had read it and chose not to say anything," he defended.

"Bull. You knew I didn't know," Hermione said, taking a deep breath. "Did Brisco do it? Did he torture and kill Dolohov because of me?" she asked, her voice quavering.

"If he did, he didn't tell me," Theo responded, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Are you lying to me?" she asked, suspiciously.

"No, I'm not lying to you," he responded, rolling his eyes at her. "But if you even think of telling me you're upset he'd dead, then you'll be the one lying."

"Well, I've only just found out, obviously, but no, I'm not upset he's dead. Relieved, actually, would be more accurate. What upsets me is that he was probably killed because of me."

"Glad you see it my way," Theo said before glancing sideways at her. "You really need to get that ego under control, though. Next thing we know you'll be expecting us to only refer to you as Hermione Nott- the smartest girl in all the land," he teased, motioning his spread hands in an arc.

"Shut up, you prat." Hermione's glare was not very effective, though, and Theo cracked up as soon as the ghost of a smile twitched the corners of her mouth.

"Hey!" he yelled as he landed on the floor, ousted from his bed by a shove from his sister.

Harry and Ron suddenly burst into the room, only to find Theo on the floor, one of his feet resting on the edge of his bed, and Hermione doubled over in laughter. "Is everything okay?" Harry needlessly asked.

Hermione nodded through her giggles as Theo pulled himself to stand. "In that case, we should probably head upstairs before Brisco sends one of the elves," Harry observed, while Ron chuckled at the two, having had many such instances happen between him and his siblings.

"Yes, we should," Hermione agreed, still chuckling. One look at Theo, though, had her grab hold of Ron's arm as she hastened through the door and away from possible retaliation.

Left alone to make their way upstairs, Harry turned to look Theo in the eye. "Did Brisco do it? And don't give me whatever evasion or lie you used on Hermione if he did."

Theo looked deep into Harry's eyes, as though he was trying to decipher something that was hidden in their depths. Having come to some sort of conclusion, he gave his head a sharp nod. "Yes. Hermione and Mum were at Saturday tea. When he came home, he was slightly off, and he had an air about him that hadn't been there since you killed the Dark Lord. The article was in the paper three days later, and I just knew," Theo said, lowly, a weight lifting from his chest. "She can't know. Ever," he continued, his voice hard and demanding but his eyes pleading.

"No one will find out about it from me," Harry assured him, and the two quickened their steps to catch up with Hermione and Ron.


	33. Chapter 33 At The Cup

Chapter 33 At The Cup

They arrived at their campsite without incident, and found that the house-elves had everything set and ready for them. Hermione and her friends looked at where they would be staying, mouths agape.

The Notts were one of the wizarding families that stood out as magical that Hermione, Harry, and Ron had noticed the last time they went to the Cup. Only, instead of turrets and children playing on brooms, the Nott's "tent," if one could call it that, was an exact replica of Nott Cottage, and was the size of a small hunting cabin.

Hermione looked at Ron and Harry, who seemed to be just as amazed as her, and her family, who was already headed to the mini-cottage. Brisco took out his wand and muttered something under his breath. An invisible door opened up, taking up a quarter of the cottage front. It was as tall as the roof, spanning both "floors." Ron raised an eyebrow, and Hermione shook her head, baffled, before leading her friends forward.

The mini-cottage had the same Enlargement Charm as the tents they had stayed in at the last Cup. "The sitting room, kitchen, and dining room are on this level, and the bedrooms are upstairs. Each floor has a full bathroom. Harry and Ron, there are only four bedrooms, so you will have to share. All of your belongings have been put in your rooms," Caoilinn said.

Hermione, who had gotten over her amazement sooner than Harry or Ron, smiled at her mother. "You know," she laughed, "Muggle tents look absolutely nothing like their houses."

"Yes, but their tents don't have Muggle Repulsion Charms on them, either," Caoilinn commented back, a smirk on her lips.

"I suppose that is true," Hermione conceded. "I'm going to check out my room and get settled in before we go walking around."

When the boys agreed, Brisco levelled his gaze at the teens. "If we are not here when you get back from traipsing the campground, Caoilinn and I will be at the Parkinson's site. The house-elves will be here, keeping their eyes on you, and you four are the only ones who will be able to go up the stairs to the bedrooms."

"Wow. Thanks for the trust, dad," Theo commented.

"Your mother and I can always stay here," came the response.

"No, the house-elves are fine, thanks."

"That's what I thought," Brisco said, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

***

Bulgaria's Vrasta Vultures were playing against France's Quiberon Quafflepunchers, and it seemed that they were staying in the middle of France's stronghold. Everywhere around them, shocking pink was used as decoration to show support for the team. Hermione, in her tight fitting red and black Bulgaria tee, felt out of place and was on the receiving end of more than a few glares.

More than half of the campsites they passed were inhabited by people speaking in rapid French, all ecstatic that their team was in the Cup, and many were celebrating in style. In fact, it seemed that there were very few Brits near where they were staying; everyone was either French or Spanish, though that was to be expected when Hermione considered that they were in Spain.

As they walked through the campground, Hermione skipped ahead excitedly; she hadn't seen Viktor in a long time, and she was anxious to see him, and to meet his girlfriend. Anastasia was the first woman he had dated for more than a month, and from what she could garner from his letters, he was falling in love with the witch.

Her boys laughed at her as they walked behind at a more leisurely pace, talking amongst themselves about the upcoming game. While Hermione was excited to see her friend, they knew that she didn't care about the actual game, and all three were practically drooling over their seats. Even Theo and Ron were getting along well, their mutual love of quidditch bringing them together in the way only sports can. Though, while Ron favoured the Chudley Cannons, Theo was a devout follower of the "Prides", or the Pride of Portree.

After walking around for an hour or so, the quartet ran into Seamus Finnigan and Lavender Brown. Lavender's father worked as an editor for a popular quidditch magazine, and had gotten tickets in the press box for his family and one friend for each of his two children. Lavender had chosen her boyfriend, while her ten-year-old brother had chosen their cousin, who was eleven and would be attending Hogwarts in the fall.

This time when Seamus saw Hermione and Harry with Theo, he saw Ron with them as well. That, coupled with the fact that Hermione's true parentage had been in the gossip column and he had time to get used to the idea, had him calling out to them, apologising for how he had acted earlier in the summer. While Lavender wasn't all that close to any of them, she was happy to see not only someone who spoke English, but people that she knew.

Less than five minutes after they started talking, though, they heard Lavender's mother call out for them from their site, and the couple left with an invitation to a small get-together that night at the Nott's mini-cottage.

A few hours later, not only were Hermione, Theo, Harry and Ron standing around the sitting room, but so were Daphne and her sister Astoria, Blaise, and the recently arrived Seamus and Lavender. The wireless was blasting in the background, and the air was loud with conversation.

"Excuse us a moment," Blaise said to Astoria, who was being very obvious in her questions about Ron. He then moved his arm from where it was resting on Hermione's shoulder and grabbed a hold of her hand before he started to swing her around the room in time to an upbeat Weird Sisters song. While he didn't know it, he was leading Hermione around in a dance extremely similar to Muggle swing dance, and she couldn't help but let out a merry laugh, her smile lighting up her face.

Theo and Harry chuckled, and Daphne and Astoria conspired together to find their own dancing partners, covertly glancing over to Ron, who was standing next to the food deciding what he wanted. Seamus and Lavender looked at Hermione and Blaise in awe. When they had first heard of the match, they had been very doubtful, but seeing the two together, they were happy for their housemate.

The song ended and the two came back over to their friends, their breathing laboured. "Hermione, no offence, but when did you learn to have fun?" Lavender asked, astonished.

Hermione looked shocked for a moment, but then she started to laugh. "Not long after we didn't have to worry about Voldemort anymore. I still love to learn just as much as ever, but now I feel like there's less stress, and it helps me let loose a bit," she responded, slightly more serious.

"Well, I like it," Lavender said, with a sharp nod. "It's nice to see that you're a person and not just a brain."

Ron, who, along with everyone else, was listening intently to the conversation, let out a large snort, breaking any awkwardness that may have arisen from the statement. He had forgotten how close he was standing to Hermione, though, and was acutely reminded when her hand met with the back of his head, causing everyone in the room to burst into laughter.

Ten minutes later, Hermione, Harry, and Daphne were doing their best to ingratiate Ron to Astoria. The two seemed to be getting along well enough, and the others slowly left them alone, shooting them smirks behind their back.

Blaise had just pulled Hermione into his arms, and into a kiss that was awarded with a catcall from Seamus, when there was a knock on the door.

As they weren't expecting anyone else, all heads turned to the door. Theo pulled out his wand, and muttered a charm that turned the door invisible from the inside so they could see who was there. There was a tall blonde woman, wearing the same Bulgaria shirt as Hermione and tight fitting blue jeans. Next to her was a stocky man that was only a few inches taller than her. His red hair fell in front of his face, effectively hiding it from any who might catch a glimpse.

"Who's there?" Theo called out, as though he couldn't see the two strangers who were standing in front of the door.

"We are here to see Herm-own-ninny Nott," the woman said through the door in a thick Bulgarian accent.

Hermione stepped away from Blaise and towards the door, squinting to see the man's face. "Viktor!" she suddenly called out as she threw the door open and jumped into his arms.


	34. Chapter 34 The Party

Warning: I have no intention of even trying to write a Bulgarian accent, so I'm very sorry, but you have to make it up in your head, lol. I am also assuming that his general speaking and English language skills are better, as he has had two years to perfect them, with Hermione writing to him the entire time in her proper English.

Chapter 34 The Party

Behind her, Hermione heard Blaise clear his throat. She pulled away with a sheepish smile, and glanced back to Blaise, who was glaring at the world-famous quidditch player. She then turned to the blonde woman, who may well have been the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

"You must be Anastasia," she said to the witch, who was looking at her wearily. "I've heard so much about you, but don't worry, it was all good," she rambled before hugging the shell-shocked blonde, though not quite with the same enthusiasm as she had Viktor.

Once everyone was inside the mini-cottage, Viktor took the glamours off his hair, which had kept him from being mobbed. Or hexed. Considering that they were in the middle of the French stronghold, it could have gone either way.

Hermione made introductions, or re-introductions, all the way around, and noticed that when Blaise shook Viktor's hand, his grip was more than a bit too hard. She rolled her eyes to herself, but stepped closer to her boyfriend and interlocked their arms, leaning her head against his shoulder. He knew that she was reassuring him that he had no competition from Viktor, and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

"So, would either of you like something to eat or drink?" Theo asked, acting the host. Viktor turned down the offer, but Anastasia accepted a drink, and the group ventured closer to the refreshment table, with the exception of Seamus and Lavender. Seamus had noticed his girlfriend's eyes following the Bulgarian, and felt the need to assert himself by way of pulling her into his arms and snogging the breath from her in an effort to keep her eyes from straying.

"So, Krum, what are you doing here?" Harry asked. "Shouldn't you be at home, relaxing and preparing for tomorrow or something like that?"

"Some of my team mates are doing that, yes, and we will be going back to the hotel early; but it is better for me to put my thoughts on something else."

"I can see that," he responded. "I have Hermione in my life, though," Harry started, sending a cheeky grin to his best friend, "so that's not really an option. All going over battle plans until my brains are bleeding, along with Ron's."

"Hey!" Hermione cried indignantly from where she was standing with Anastasia, Blaise, and Daphne. Seamus and Lavender were still otherwise indisposed, and Astoria had cornered Ron, who looked shell-shocked, at the refreshment table.

"I didn't say it was a bad thing," Harry returned, having to raise his voice over the hidden chuckles of their friends.

Suddenly, the wireless was turned back up, and Astoria had pulled Ron away from the food. He started dancing with her, but was sending looks over her shoulder to his friends, as though he was trying to get their attention.

Daphne excused herself and went over to Harry. "How about a dance?" she asked, her head resting against his shoulder and her fingers playing with the hair at the back of his neck.

"Go dance with your girlfriend," Viktor answered in his stead, chuckling to himself.

Glancing over to the rest of the room, Viktor turned to Theo. "Is there any way I can speak with you and Blaise alone?" he asked. He had noticed that Theo had been even more quiet than usual, and assumed it was due to his presence.

Theo nodded his head and went over to extract his best friend from his sister, who looked on worriedly as the three men disappeared to the kitchen. "So long as your Blaise's intentions are true, there should be no problems between them, Hermione," Anastasia said comfortingly.

In the kitchen, Viktor leaned against the island that was in the middle of the room, while Theo and Blaise stood across from him against a counter. "You knew before that she was your sister," the Bulgarian said to Theo, and while he did not phrase it as a question, it was obvious that he expected Theo to respond.

"I've known about her pretty much my whole life, I just couldn't say anything about it," came the response.

Viktor nodded, not in the least bit surprised. His accent became slightly thicker as the words that he wanted to say were harder to come forth. He glanced quickly over to Blaise before looking Theo in the eyes. "After you hit me, I apologised to her for how I had acted. Now I apologise to you for treating your sister in such a way. She deserves far more than I was willing to give her, and you were defending her honour. You did what any brother would have done, and I wish you no ill will. I had been upset with you before, thinking you to be someone with a crush who was jealous of her affections for me, but I did not retaliate in case I was found out; I did not want to cause disgrace to my school. I would not have been kicked out of the tournament, as that isn't possible, but my respect would have been lost if I hit a fourth year Hogwarts student, even though you had hit me first. Then, when Hermione told me that you were her brother, I understood everything. I just wanted to make sure you knew that Hermione is still my friend, but I will never seek her out as more."

Theo and Blaise looked at Viktor in amazement. Neither had ever heard the man say so much at once, despite the fact that they had shared all of their meals with him for the time he was at Hogwarts, and that the Slytherins had often hung around with the Durmstrang students during their stay.

"Thank you for the apology, Viktor, but it isn't necessary. It was years ago and is long forgotten," Theo answered, stretching the truth just a bit.

Viktor nodded his head in acceptance, but then turned to Blaise, who unconsciously pressed even closer against the counter he was leaning against when he saw the fierceness in the Bulgarian's eyes.

"For you, Blaise Zabini, I have a warning. Hermione is one of my closest friends, and you would not do well to hurt her. I may not have followed your country's Lord Voldemort, but I am an accomplished wizard, and am not someone to trifle with. If you cause her pain, I will cause you pain."

Blaise had turned pale, while Theo started laughing. When Viktor turned a raised eyebrow on his laughter, Theo explained through his chuckles. "Krum, you are about the tenth person to threaten Blaise. I almost think that if he ever _does_ do anything to her, he will disappear immediately in order to survive, with all the promises of death and dismemberment he has already received."

Viktor cracked a smile at this, but glanced back over to Blaise. "So long as we are understood."

"We are," Blaise answered. He was becoming more worried over time about what would happen should he and Hermione eventually break up. He didn't want for it to happen, ever, but if it did, he really hoped that it would be amicable, or he would be in for it.

Before anything else could be said, though, Anastasia popped her head into the room. "Viktor, we should be going soon. It is getting late and you need a good sleep tonight."

Agreeing, Viktor and Anastasia soon took their leave, and the others continued their party, eating, dancing, and gossiping until Brisco and Caoilinn came home. Everyone was still allowed to stay, but as it was getting late, they decided to go back to their own sites so they wouldn't have to explain to their parents why they would have been arriving back so early in the morning from a party, even though no alcohol had been served.


	35. Chapter 35 Blaise's News

**Chapter 35 Blaise's News**

The next morning, the Notts, Harry, and Ron made their way to the quidditch stadium, where they separated to go to their own seats. They ended up sitting next to Anastasia, and while the men watched the match, the two females talked, only paying attention to the match when they heard Viktor's name.

After three hours, with the score at 50 France-80 Bulgaria, the skies, which had been blue when the match started, opened up and drenched the onlookers. All throughout the stands, umbrellas suddenly appeared, having either been conjured or transfigured.

It wasn't until dusk that Antoine Hebert, the French Seeker, caught the Snitch, practically stealing it from Viktor's grasp and winning the game by a mere twenty points.

After the match, they made their way back to their site, which was crowded by people who were already celebrating France's win despite the rain. Once they were in the mini-cottage, Hermione sent Viktor a note, telling him that he had played a very good game, and she was very proud of him.

There was a knock on the front door, though no one was expecting company that night. Caoilinn answered it and escorted Blaise, who looked slightly upset, into the sitting room where everyone was lounging around, too exhausted from the excitement of the game to really partake in the celebrations that were occurring right out their door.

Blaise flopped down between Hermione and Theo, and Hermione settled herself comfortably against him. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly, not knowing if whatever was bothering him would be something he would want to share in front of everyone.

"Jonas asked Mum to marry him during the match," he responded, giving her a gentle squeeze.

'I'm sorry, mate, that sucks," Theo said sympathetically, patting his friend's shoulder as Hermione placed a light kiss on his other shoulder.

Blaise looked decidedly uncomfortable and turned to look at Brisco, who was reading a book. "Brisco, may I be permitted to escort Hermione on a walk around the campground?" he asked formally, his hope filtering into his voice.

Brisco set down his book and exchanged a look with his wife. After almost a minute had passed, he finally answered. "Yes, you may, and I trust that you will keep her safe amongst those who are celebrating France's win around us. Have her back in no more than two hours."

"Thank you, Brisco," Blaise responded as Hermione turned to Harry and Ron.

"Do you mind?" she asked her friends. Harry immediately replied that he didn't, and Ron decided not to put up a fight. The news had obviously upset Blaise, even though he couldn't understand why. After all, weddings were a happy occasion.

"I'll talk to you when we get back," Blaise said to Theo as he stood up, taking Hermione's hand and helping her to stand as well. Theo nodded, and Hermione grabbed slickers for both her and Blaise, and a large umbrella to share. When they opened the door, they saw that the rain was tapering off, so Hermione put the slickers back while Blaise cast an Hover Charm on the umbrella so they wouldn't have to hold it as they walked.

They finally left the mini-cottage hand in hand. Neither spoke as Blaise lead Hermione randomly down the paths, weaving them through the sea of hot pink shirts and banners. Finally, after almost twenty minutes, they were near the edge of the campground. People had become sparser as the trees became denser, and Blaise decided that it seemed to be a good place to stop.

There was a bench nearby, and they sat down once Hermione Charmed it dry. Blaise pulled her close and buried his head in her hair, breathing in her scent and finding peace for the first time in hours.

"They've decided to get married within the month. Since Mum's already been married eight times, and he's been married twice, they're going to go to the Ministry and have it done there. Then, apparently, we'll be moving in with him. He wants Mum to get rid of our house, but I don't think she will, especially if I put up a fight. After all, there's no way I'll be living with them after N.E.W.T.'s."

"Oh, Blaise," Hermione cooed, moving so she was straddling him and enabling her to give him a tight hug. "Maybe you're wrong about him," she suggested, gently kissing his eyelids before moving down to his lips.

"I hope so," he said softly. "But really, who proposes after only three months of dating, when the witch isn't pregnant, and both parties have been married multiple times?"

"I know he gives you the creeps, but that doesn't make him a bad person," she reasoned. "And maybe them both having been married before is part of why he wants to rush into it; maybe he's the type of person who needs to be with someone in order to feel whole themselves."

"Maybe," he responded disbelievingly. "But right now, we're all alone. There's no chance of our parents walking in on us, and I don't want to think about them anymore," he said, his voice lowering with a huskiness that sent shivers of anticipation down her spine.

"Really? What do you want to think about?" she asked, her own voice lowering as she leaned forward and licked from his collarbone up to his ear, paying special attention to the sensitive spots along his neck.

He groaned and leaned his head back, his hands finding their way to her hips and pulling her even closer to him. Her lips met his as her arms draped around his neck, and she teased him with fluttering kisses before his hands moved to her head and held her still so he could kiss her fully and properly.

They stayed that way for quite some time, and when they finally pulled away, Blaise rested their foreheads together. He kept eye contact as his hands slipped under her shirt and skimmed her lower back. Everywhere he touched tingled as her nerve endings seemed to catch ablaze. She gasped, and he smirked at her before touching their lips together once again. His hands moved forward over her stomach and followed the trails of her scars up to her bra.

He cupped her full globes in his palms, weighing them before tweaking her nipples through the fabric. She made a purring sound in the back of her throat, and he smiled against her lips. "Tell me if you want me to stop," he whispered as he pulled down the lace and brought his hands back up to her breasts.

"Don't stop," she said in a choked whisper, practically melting from the feel of his hands on her. It was the most intimate touch she had ever received from someone other than herself, and she couldn't imagine why she had never done this before.

He lifted her shirt, exposing her to the warm summer air, and stared lustily at her long enough to make her uncomfortable. She squirmed on his lap and tried to pull her shirt down, feeling not only about her modesty, but also self-conscious about her scars. Blaise covered her hands with his, stilling her motions. "Don't," he said. "You, Hermione Nott, are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and I do not want you to ever think otherwise."

His sincerity shone through his eyes, bringing tears to her own. "What did I do to deserve you?" she whispered faintly before stopping any reply with a kiss. His hands explored her torso, trailing along her stomach up to her collarbone, continuously stopping at her breasts. When he pulled out of the kiss, he made his way down to her nipples, and sucked one of them into his mouth.

Hermione gasped and mewled simultaneously. She had been wrong before. This, in fact, was the best thing she had ever felt. She also felt a little guilty, though, keeping this glorious sensation to herself, and she wanted Blaise to share in what she was feeling.

"Blaise?" she asked in a whimper.

"Mmmm," he responded, never stopping the ministrations of his mouth and his hand on her breasts, the fingers of his second hand grazing the skin under the waistband of her jeans.

"Can I touch you?" she tentatively asked, her voice slightly wavering.

Blaise groaned in response, the vibrations from the sound going through her body and exciting her to her very core. Then, he pulled away from her and covered her back up, putting her bra and shirt back where they had started. "There is nothing I would love more," he responded earnestly, "but not here, and especially not now. If we start anything more, there is no way I will have you back in time, and then your father will come looking for us. As it is, we need to start heading back in a few minutes."

She looked at him intently, trying to discern if he was telling the truth, or evading her advances. When she finally decided that he was being sincere, she leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "But we will continue this soon?" she asked, hopefully.

"We will _definitely _continue this soon," he affirmed with a playful leer as he squeezed her arse. "But, for now, we have to head on back."


	36. Chapter 36 Shopping

**Chapter 36 Shopping **

Five days later, Hermione, Caoilinn, and Zarina were in Milan, shopping for a wedding dress. While having one that was special-made would have been preferable, not even the best wizarding seamstress could create a wedding dress in one week. Zarina didn't want anything white or even all too fancy, she just wanted something special. Hermione wasn't quite sure why she was there, other than that Zarina had requested her to come. After all, Caoilinn was her best mate; she was nothing more than the woman's son's new girlfriend.

It wasn't until they had been shopping for three hours, and Hermione's feet felt like they were about to fall off, that they finally came upon the perfect dress. It had only taken almost one hundred rejects. It was made from light purple faerie silk, and reached just below her knees, endlessly shimmering as it gently swayed against her legs. The bodice was tight-fitting but modest, with a round collar and extremely short flutter sleeves. Rather than a robe, it was paired with a sheer purple veil that sat on the crown of her head and fell around her body, ending slightly above the dress' hemline.

Zarina was positively radiant in it as she clapped her hands once and looked at the other two women. "Now, to find your dresses!"

Hermione had to sit down from the horrible shock that they weren't done shopping, and that now she was going to be forced to be the one trying on clothes. _Wait. What? _"Why do we need dresses?" Hermione asked, confused.

"This may be a quickie wedding at the Ministry, but I still need attendants," came the smiling answer. "The two of you are mine, and Blaise and Jonas' son are his."

"Jonas has a son?" Hermione asked, becoming even more confused. She had never heard of this son before.

"Yes, Jacob Bradley. He was in Ravenclaw, left Hogwarts last year. He's currently studying in Italy, but he'll be back for the wedding," came the distracted response. "Enough about him, though. I'm thinking yellow. Yes, you'll both look divine in yellow," Zarina said, looking over the Nott women critically.

And before Hermione could say _'pumpkin pasty'_, she was being herded into a dressing room with four different yellow robes strewn over her arms. Another hour passed in a blur with Hermione and Caoilinn trying on dress after dress, and robe after robe.

Eventually, both women had found dress robes that Zarina approved of, and all of the packages had been sent home via Delivery Floo; which, while more of a hassle than owls, was far less likely to end in damaged goods.

Relief could plainly be seen on both Hermione and Caoilinn's faces as they sat down at a little bistro, and both mother and daughter simultaneously removed their shoes discreetly under the table to give their aching feet freedom to move and breathe outside their heels.

They chatted idly while they waited for their food, but it wasn't until after their meals had been served that the conversation became interesting. Although, in Hermione's opinion, any conversation that centred on her boyfriend was interesting.

"So, this morning I went to Gringotts with Blaise to sign over the majority of his inheritance," Zarina sighed, obviously not entirely thrilled about having done it.

"Why?" Caoilinn asked, dumbfounded. Inheritances weren't just signed over while the person leaving the inheritance was still alive. Hermione knew why, having had a long talk with Blaise and Theo about it, and she was glad that Zarina had done it, if only to help assuage some of Blaise's fears.

"Blaise has somehow gotten it into his head that Jonas only wants to marry me for my money. It's not true, but I think that Jonas' insistence that I sell the house has something to do with it. Jonas believes that if I have the house, that I would be more likely to leave him. Which is just silly. After all, I have not left any of my husbands. They have all left me," she sniffed.

"Well, in their defence, Zarina, they did all die," Caoilinn said, trying not to laugh at her friends' theatrics.

"That's not the point."

"You've gotten married in less time than this before," Caoilinn observed as Hermione sat back, listening to the conversation and enjoying learning more about Zarina's past. "Only, I'm sure that Blaise has noticed that Jonas does not fit into your usual husband-type."

"Yes, that is one of his reasons for believing the worst in Jonas. With the others, even when he was very young, he knew that they would not be around for very long."

"Zarina, everyone knew that none of them would be around very long. Even Blaise's father was almost one hundred when you were married." This bit of news took Hermione by surprise. Hermione had known that Blaise's father was one of Zarina's previous eight husbands who had died while married to her, but she had always believed that Zarina had caused their deaths; not that they had died normal, natural deaths from old age.

"I know. He just doesn't believe that, for the first time in my life, I am marrying for love. I do love Jonas, and he loves me, and I think that we will be very happy together."

"Perhaps," Hermione interjected, entering the conversation, "he would be able to see it better if you were to slow down a bit. You and Jonas have only been dating for three months, and he doesn't think that is long enough to know whether Jonas really does love you, or just loves being married.

"Also, I think he may be afraid that if Jonas really does love you, and you love Jonas, that it would somehow push him away, like you would need him less, and therefore care for him less. After all, as my mother said, Jonas doesn't fit into the mould of your previous husbands. It makes him stand out more than the others as someone you would consider special, and someone you would want to stay with for a long time, rather than just waiting for them to die." Hermione was worried that she may have overstepped her boundaries, but she knew that Blaise would never say any of those things to his mother, and since the woman didn't understand why Blaise was so suspicious of Jonas, someone had to.

"Blaise told you that?" Zarina asked, slightly shaken.

"Not all of it. But I'm sure that's what he's feeling."

"It never occurred to me that the reason he's had problems with Jonas since I started dating him was because he felt threatened by him. After all, Blaise is my son. No one and nothing will ever replace him," Zarina said. Concern slipped into her voice, and Hermione wondered if there was a chance that she would, in fact, push back the wedding to give Jonas a chance to prove to Blaise that he really did love Blaise's mother and didn't have an alternate reason for wanting to marry her so quickly.

"I think you and Blaise need to have a talk later," Caoilinn advised.

"Yes, I think we do. I hope he will understand that Jonas and I love each other. After all, we may have only been dating for three months, but I know without a doubt that if the roles were reversed, he would happily marry you, Hermione. Just as quickly if he believed that you would accept him."

Caoilinn didn't look surprised at this, but she was very amused at Hermione's reaction of spitting out the sip of water she had just taken, so that she showered the entire portion of the table in front of her. "E.. excuse me?" Hermione stuttered, wiping her mouth with her napkin.

Zarina and Caoilinn both started laughing, incredibly entertained at the stricken look on Hermione's face.

"Don't worry," Zarina said, patting Hermione's hand once her laughter stopped. "If Blaise asks you to marry him, it won't be until you take your N.E.W.T.'s and leave Hogwarts, at the very earliest."

"Who's worried?" Hermione choked out, failing at sounding casual.


	37. Chapter 37 Meet The Parents

**Chapter 37 Meet The Parents**

Friday came two days after the outing, and brought about Hermione's fourth visit to the Grangers. The time before, Theo had come with her for a short while so that he could meet her adoptive parents. This time, though, Eugene had insisted she bring Blaise so that he could meet the boy who was dating his daughter.

Hermione insisted that neither of her adopted parents, especially her father, threaten Blaise, explaining that it had already been done many times, though even she wasn't aware of the extent of the threats. Thus far, the night had been going better than she had expected, with her parents trying to get to know Blaise, and him showing an interest in their dentistry, as well as Muggles in general.

Eventually though, one of Hermione's biggest fears came true- her parents started telling embarrassing stories of her childhood. She did her best to protest and steer the conversation away, but Blaise egged them on just as much. When they finally changed the conversation, it was to Hermione's recent Mind Healer appointment, and she wished that they would instead continue on with their stories.

Dinner finally ended, and Eugene stole Blaise away to the lounge, leaving a worried Hermione behind with Madeline to clean up. Hermione was only slightly reassured by the smile Blaise had sent her before he followed her father out of the room. Truth be told, Blaise was more concerned about what the Grangers thought of him than the Notts. A part of it was because he already knew everyone else's position on the matter, and none of those relationships had changed, including his friendship with Theo. Mostly though, he was hoping to make a good impression because these were the people who had raised Hermione, who had instilled morals and goodness in her and helped her become the young woman he was starting to fall for. He also knew that their opinion of him meant more to her than anyone else's, just beating out that of Harry and Ron.

The two men settled down in the lounge, a tenseness filling the air. "I have promised Hermione that I will not threaten you, and so I will not," Eugene said straightforwardly, taking Blaise aback. "But I do want to know your intentions towards my daughter."

"My intentions?" Blaise asked, wanting the man to explain himself further so he would not end up answering wrongly.

"Where do you see this relationship with my daughter going? Is it just a fling, or do you want more from her?"

"I can't speak for Hermione, Mr. Granger, but on my part, this is certainly not a fling. I have… had a crush," he said delicately, not wanting to say that he had been borderline obsessed at times, "on Hermione for many years, and this summer I have had the opportunity to get to know her better. I do not know what the future will bring, but I know that I want your daughter in my future."

Eugene eyed the teen, whose response was far more eloquent than it should have been; he had either been practicing for the question, had been asked it before, or was a very smooth talker. Eugene just wasn't sure which one was the answer.

"As I'm sure you are aware," Eugene started, deciding to continue his questioning rather than try and analyse everything Blaise said- there was plenty of time for that later. "Hermione is a very studious young lady. I do not want to hear of her grades slipping due to her placing more importance on you, or any other boy, than her studies."

Blaise looked to be genuinely surprised. "Sir, I don't think it would be possible for Hermione to neglect her studies for anyone. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she stopped seeing anyone, be it me or one of her friends, if they were to try to take her away from her studies too much. Earning high grades on her N.E.W.T.'s has been one of her highest priorities since before I met her. Nothing is going to change that."

"I am glad to hear that. So, I assume that once you and Hermione leave Hogwarts, provided the two of you are still dating, that you have no intention of stopping her from furthering her education and pursuing a career?"

While the sentence was a statement, the inflection made it a question and Blaise answered immediately, not having to think about what to say. "None whatsoever. Hermione would never be happy if she didn't have some sort of mental challenge in front of her, whether it be in learning or in working. I highly doubt she would be willing to stay at home and become a woman of idle society. In fact, I think that if she did, she would end up hurting someone."

Eugene was overall impressed with Blaise; he thought his daughter had chosen well. The boy obviously understood her, and only wanted the best for her.

Meanwhile, once the men had left the room, Hermione and Madeline moved to the sink to hand wash the dishes- Madeline washing and Hermione drying. After the fifth time Hermione glanced back to the door that led out the room in less than a minute, Madeline started to laugh. "What?" Hermione asked indignantly, causing her mother to chuckle even more.

Once she settled down, Madeline looked at Hermione contemplatively. Deciding to follow through with what she was thinking, she led Hermione back to the table, both with a cup of tea in their hands. "I'm sure your father is grilling Blaise as to his intentions regarding you. I am also sure that a part of their conversation includes telling Blaise not to touch you until you are married, and even then to wait."

Hermione covered her blushing face with her hands, muttering to herself. "He doesn't mean any harm in it." Madeline smiled, resting her hand on Hermione's arm. "After all, he's your father, what else do you expect? I, on the other hand, am not going to stick my head in the sand and pretend that you're still our little baby and your father and I must shield from the world."

Hermione uncovered her face and looked up, curious as to what her adoptive mother was about to say. "I know that legally you are an adult in your world. After all, if you weren't, you would still be here with us for another year," she said with a wistful smile. "And, as such, and as your relationship with Blaise develops, you may feel that you are ready, both emotionally and physically, to take things to the next level."

Her head tilted, her mouth slightly agape, Hermione stared at the woman she had called, "Mum" since she could speak. She had never expected to actually have "the sex talk" with her, and was just as mortifyingly embarrassed about it as she would have imagined. She knew quite a bit about sex from reading, and had always assumed that was how it would be. She had a reasonably close relationship with Madeline, but not _that close_. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but for the first time ever, words did not come out. Instead, a small squeak was all she could manage.

"I don't know what sort of prophylactics and such you have in your wizarding world, so I am just going to talk to you about what I know, and leave it to you to interpret," she surged on. "Hermione, love, you are a very mature and responsible young lady, but you are still young and have your entire life ahead of you. As such, you do not need to get pregnant any time soon. Believe me, your father and I, and I'm sure Brisco and Caoilinn as well, would prefer to wait to be grandparents.

"There may be some sort of wizarding equivalent, but you could go on the pill, or the shot, or any of those sort of things, and I would be happy to sign for you if you wanted. While all of those things prevent pregnancy, not only are they not always effective, but they don't stop sexually transmitted diseases-"

"Mum," Hermione interjected, before repeating herself twice more to stop Madeline from steam-rolling ahead. "Mum," she said in a soothing voice. "I already know all this. And while Blaise and I haven't slept together yet, I have been doing some research on the subject." Her entire face was slightly pink, embarrassed at admitting any of this to her mother. "There are quite a few spells and such to prevent everything you're worried about, and they're not only safer than Muggle birth control, but also more effective. You really have no need to worry."

"Are you sure that there's nothing you want to ask me about?"

"Umm, no," Hermione responded after actually giving it some thought.

"Thank God," Madeline sighed, and both women laughed.


	38. Chapter 38 The Reception

**a/n… thanks go out to Aleisha Potter for giving me the idea as to what to have Jacob be doing for a school/work.**

**Chapter 38 The Reception**

The ceremony was extremely small. In fact, the only people admitted to the room it was to take place in were those in the wedding. There was no pomp and circumstance as they entered the small room, each in formal attire. Both Zarina and Jonas were positively glowing with happiness, and Hermione couldn't help but be happy as well.

Blaise and Jonas' son, Jacob, were both handsome in their matching dark blue and white robes, standing off to Jonas' side. Hermione hadn't remembered Jacob's name, but she did recognise his face as a cute Ravenclaw she had seen in the library on a regular basis.

The ceremony itself was extremely short, and as soon as it was finished and all of the paperwork had been signed, the small group made their way to Jonas' home, where Zarina and Blaise would be moving into as soon as the couple was back from their honeymoon.

As they stepped onto the property, Hermione's jaw dropped. Because of Blaise's suspicions that Jonas wanted his mother for her money, she had never considered that he may be wealthy himself, but if this was where he lived, wealthy he most certainly was.

It wasn't so much that the house was rather large, though it was, but the fact that it was situated in the middle of the largest lawn she had ever seen, minus Hogwarts. Hermione glanced up to Blaise, and saw that his face was full of apprehension. She squeezed his hand, and he smiled down at her, bringing her hand up to his lips before wrapping his arm around her waist.

Hermione had to stop her jaw from dropping again as they entered the ballroom, which was twice the size of the one at her home. The room had been decorated in silver with a light purple to match Zarina's dress, but even more than this, the room was packed with people. Hermione didn't recognise many of the faces, but every woman she had ever had tea with seemed to be present, as well as the rest of her family.

They had a light meal, and both Jacob and Blaise gave a toast, after which a band started playing, and Jonas swept Zarina to the dance floor, soon followed by Blaise and Caoilinn and Jacob and Hermione, Blaise assuming that Hermione's mother would be more comfortable dancing with him than someone she had never met.

"So, Jacob, what are you studying in Italy?" Hermione asked as they gently twirled around the parquet floor.

"The ancient wizards of Pompeii. Vesuvius buried their settlement, but the area they lived in is still completely protected from Muggles, and the university I'm with has been excavating it for the past ten years. Unlike in the Muggle ruins, most everything we have been unearthing is in pristine condition once it's gone through a thorough series of Cleansing Charms."

"Really? Why haven't I heard of it?" she asked, intrigued.

"You probably just haven't been reading the right magazines and journals. In other countries, it's been mentioned during History of Magic, but with Binns, you have no chance to learn anything about it at Hogwarts unless it's something that you're interested in."

"I suppose I can see that," Hermione answered darkly, thinking of the inept ghostly professor.

People were filling in the dance floor around them, and soon Blaise appeared to cut in, though he was soon interrupted by Brisco. It was almost a half an hour before Blaise was able to cut back in; both he and Hermione had to dance with other partners, such as he with his mother, and she with her brother.

The cake was cut, the champagne was flowing, and Hermione's feet were killing her. She sat down on an out of the way chair to take off her shoes and rub her feet. Almost immediately, she was once again joined by Blaise, who knelt in front of her and started rubbing her feet. She moaned and leaned her head against the wall behind her. "You are a god," she informed her boyfriend as his fingers worked the pads of her left foot.

"I'm glad you think so," he responded, smirking cheekily up at her.

"This place is huge. It's hard to believe that people can actually live in a house this big," Hermione commented with a whimper as he pressed on a particularly tender spot.

Blaise stopped working on her foot, looking up at her, his face slightly unsure, but only to those who knew what to look for. "Do you want to see my rooms? I haven't moved any of my stuff in, but I don't really think I will. After all, I'll only be living here for the rest of this summer and over school holidays, since next year I'll be back to my house."

Hermione smiled as he rambled through his nervousness and took his hands in hers. "Of course I'd love to see your rooms. Am I allowed in, though?"

"Yes, you are," he answered as he put her shoes back on her feet and helped her to stand. "My mum's been so busy with the wedding I doubt she's had time to think of it, not to mention that Jonas' house-elves wouldn't have listened to her until they were officially married. She'll probably have the charms put up before they leave for their honeymoon in the morning."

Daphne Greengrass was the only person to notice her friends disappear out of the room, and she smiled and chuckled in their direction, not saying a word to anyone.

They walked up two flights of stairs and down three halls before Blaise stopped in front of a nondescript door that looked exactly like every other door in the hallway. "This is my room, though it's almost my own wing since no one else lives in this hall. Mum and Jonas are the next hall down, and Jacob's room is a few doors down, but apparently he's only here for holidays."

"Then what are we doing just standing here?" Hermione asked with a sly smile. Blaise smiled back and leaned in to kiss her before opening the door and backing into the suite of rooms.

"This is the front room," he said with a flourish of his hand in the direction of an antique sitting room set. "There's an office through that door, and a bathroom off the bedroom, which is through that door." He pointed in the direction of each door as he mentioned them, not putting in any effort to show her around.

"Oh, and what colour is the bedroom?" Hermione asked, fake innocence dripping from her voice.

"I don't know the exact name of the shade. Why don't you come look and tell me what you think it is," he suggested with a grin as he took hold of her hand and pulled her toward the bedroom.

She giggled as they crossed the threshold. "White. This room is white," Hermione told him.

"I'm glad you could clear that up," Blaise said just before his lips met hers in a deep kiss. He reached over to her breast, cupping it gently before lightly pinching the nipple through the fabric of her dress.

"I believe we started something at the World Cup last week that needs to be finished," he whispered into her mouth, his eyes searching her own.

"We do," she murmured in agreement. "I'm not ready to have sex with you, Blaise. But that doesn't mean that there isn't a good many things that we can't try," she rushed on when she saw a flash of disappointment cross his face before he quickly hid it, not wanting her to feel pressured because of his desire for her.

"A good many things, hmm?" he asked, his lips nipping at her neck and ear. "And just what might these things entail?"

"Well, first, we may need to take off our clothes," she responded, gently pressing her lips to his as her fingers went to the clasp of his robes.

"I like it already," he said, pushing down the straps of her dress.


	39. Chapter 39 Harry's Birthday part 1

**Chapter 39 Harry's Birthday (part 1)**

Blaise was shipped off to stay with Harry for the duration of Zarina and Jonas' honeymoon. It was the very first time he wasn't spending the time at the Nott's, and was solely because of his relationship with Hermione.

The Thursday following the wedding was Harry's seventeenth birthday. Mrs. Weasley had wanted to throw him a party as she had in previous years, but she didn't want to bring Harry's new friends into her home. Instead, Ron convinced her that it would be better to have a family get-together Wednesday night, which would free Harry up to go out with his friends on his birthday.

Blaise hadn't wanted to be at that gathering any more than Mrs. Weasley wanted him there, and so he spent the evening with Theo at the Nott's while Hermione attended the party. The night went about as well as Hermione, Ron and Harry expected. Ginny spent a large portion of the evening coming on to Harry, no matter how many times he made it clear that he was happy in his relationship with Daphne.

Lupin and Tonks, who had eloped right after the death of Voldemort, came, as did Sirius, and a few members of the Order that Harry had gotten to know. Much to everyone's surprise, Luna Lovegood also came, wearing a dress that looked as though it was made of wrapping paper. Even Minister Shacklebolt made a quick appearance. In the end, everyone had a good time, and Harry came away with a decent cache of gifts, though both Hermione and Ron were waiting for the next day to give him their presents.

On Thursday, a large group of teens met up at Blaise's home around noon. Not only were Blaise, Hermione, Theo, Ron and Harry there, but also Lilah and Savannah, and Daphne and Astoria, each person carrying a small rucksack. From there, they Flooed to Blaise's mum's house in Morocco.

"Okay, everyone," Blaise said once everyone was in the courtyard, trying to get the attention of his friends who had never been there and were agape with the beauty of the home. "My mum's set the wards so that the only two rooms that we can be together in is the kitchen and the sitting room, and that's only if there's more than one bloke and one girl at a time. The bedrooms can be used to change in, just you girls have to be in a different room than us blokes."

"Tsk, tsk, Blaise," Harry said as he tried unsuccessfully to hold back a grin. "That's what you get for letting Hermione's parents walk in on you."

"We were just sleeping," Hermione replied indignantly, crossing her arms across her chest as she glared at Harry.

Half an hour later, the group was on the beach, slathered in sun lotion. Hermione and Daphne settled down on their blankets on the sand while the others made their way to the water, surfboards under Blaise and Theo's arms.

Hermione watched Blaise walk away, her eyes seemingly unable to stray from his toned body. While she had thought about what had happened between her and her boyfriend in his new room on many occasions over the previous few days, seeing his bare skin glint in the sunlight brought the memory hurdling back with no chance of her stopping it.

_While they hadn't hastily shed their clothes, it did not take long for the two to disrobe. They had stood there, staring at one another, but neither had felt awkward for it. Hermione had never seen a nude male before, and while she had seen him in just his swimming costume, she was not prepared for this. The fit planes of his stomach swept downward to create a deep V at his hips that led straight to his cock, which was rapidly hardening. _

_Blaise's eyes were also taking in her body. While he had seen nude girls before, none of them had been the girl he had wanted them to be; none of them had been Hermione. As his eyes slipped from her pert, round breasts down to her womanhood, he could find no imperfections. While her scars were glaring at him, daring him to turn away from her and change his mind, he only saw them as a part of her, the way her eyes, her hair, or her laugh were a part of her._

_Tentatively, he stepped closer to her and placed his hands safely on her hips, drawing her close enough so he could kiss her, but not close enough for their bodies to touch. It had been Hermione who bridged the gap, pressing their bodies together. Blaise moaned into the kiss as his now fully erect cock was trapped between their bodies, and she couldn't help but feel a slight amount of trepidation. He hadn't been at a full mast when she had looked at him, and he felt impossibly large against her stomach. She had told him that she wasn't ready for sex, but she wasn't sure she ever would be- she wasn't convinced that he could fit inside her._

"Hermione?" Daphne called, snapping her fingers in front of Hermione's face.

"Oh- yeah?" Hermione responded, dazedly, shaking her head of her thoughts.

Daphne gave her a knowing smirk. "Care to let a friend in on your thoughts?"

Hermione's face suddenly turned a bright shade of pink. "Um… No," she responded, clearing her throat.

"That's okay, I already know what you're thinking," Daphne said, laughing.

"You do?" Hermione responded, embarrassed at her transparency and hoping that the other girl was wrong.

"I saw you leave the reception with Blaise," Daphne said suggestively. "The looks that you two were exchanging left no question that you were off to find a room."

"It was his room, and we didn't have sex," Hermione harrumphed, unhappy with being called out, as well as slightly uneasy with the conversation. Having two blokes for best friends didn't really lead to her talking about sex with her mates all that often. Or ever.

"Oh, you had sex," Daphne said, continuing louder when Hermione tried to interrupt. "You may not have had intercourse, but with the way you're looking at Blaise… you had sex."

Hermione glared at her friend, but there was no fire behind it. She knew it was the truth.

_They had somehow made it to the bed, and Blaise laid her down in the middle, gazing at her body with a hungry expression before crawling onto it himself. As he moved up the soft duvet, he opened her legs, leaving feather-light kisses from her ankle, stopping when he reached the spot where her thigh met with her core. He kissed just above her trimmed pubic hair, up to her breasts, and then her mouth, which was waiting eagerly for him as she watched his progress, slight chills and tremors running through her._

_She clutched his shoulders as he balanced on one hand, the muscles rippling under her fingers. His other hand made its way down her body to her core. He cupped her mound with his palm before allowing his pinkie finger to slide up and down her slick slit. She moaned at the light touch and he smiled into their kiss before pulling away and turning the attentions of his mouth to her neck, and she threw her head back against the soft pillow._

_His middle and pointer fingers teased her clit while his tongue and teeth played with her ear. She couldn't stop the little mewling sounds from leaving her open mouth, and they only served to egg him on. One finger made its way into her opening, caressing her inner walls as his thumb continued to play with her clit. She started undulating slightly against his hand, and he added another finger as he sucked a nipple into his mouth. _

_Hermione was on sensory overload with all the new sensations to her body. While she had gotten a taste at the World Cup, she had had no idea how pleasurable physical intimacy could be, and at that moment, her only thought was that she hoped he never stopped what he was doing to her._

_His head had made its way back to her centre, where it met with his hand. Much to her chagrin, he pulled his hand away from her, but her protests died on her lips as his fingers were replaced with the warm wetness of his tongue licking up and down her folds. He flattened his tongue to lap at her clit, pulling away just in time to stop her impending orgasm before delving into her body with his tongue, tasting her very essence. He couldn't get enough of her taste, her fragrance, and he breathed in deeply through his nose, trying to memorise everything about this experience._

_His fingers made their way back to her core, caressing her insides while his tongue went back to her clit, finally bringing her over the edge into oblivion, not stopping his ministrations until she had stopped trembling. _

_He moved sinuously so he lay next to her and dropped a kiss on her shoulder. She looked at him with hazy eyes, a satisfied smile upturning the corners of her mouth. "I have no idea why we've never done this before," she said huskily as she stared into his eyes._

"Hermione! Come on, snap back to reality," Daphne laughed.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry," Hermione apologised, having been found out again.

"I don't think the beach is good for you," Daphne teased. "All you can do is watch the half-naked men and think about sex…. Wait, never mind. I think I'll join you in this endeavour." Daphne then turned her eyes to the ocean, where Theo was trying to show Harry how to surf, her own stare going fuzzy after a moment.

Chapter End Notes:

I tricked you, didn't I??? I bet you all thought I was just going to completely skip the smut, which there will be a little bit more of in part 2, along with the rest of Harry's birthday... and i loved everyone's reviews, but i didn't respond to any of them because i didn't want to give anything away, lol.


	40. Chapter 40 Harry's Birthday part 2

**Harry's Birthday (part 2)**

"What did you get for Harry?" Hermione asked Daphne after turning the tables and having to call her friends name a couple of times before the girl looked over.

"Lingerie," she replied with a smirk. "You?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement before answering. "A personalized quidditch ball set."

"He'll love it," Daphne commented.

"Maybe, but I'm sure he'll prefer yours," Hermione responded with a laugh as Savannah and Lilah returned from the ocean and laid on their chairs.

"I give it a week. Two tops," Savannah said, settling down.

"I don't know," Lilah returned. "It might not happen at all."

"Have you even looked at them? Of course it's going to happen."

"What's going to happen?" Hermione and Daphne chorused, both girls slightly confused.

"Ron and Astoria," Savannah replied. "It's hard to be near them, there's so much tension there."

"But their personalities are not at all compatible," Lilah argued.

"I never said that they would date," Savannah defended. "Just that they would shag." Lilah gave an exasperated sigh, and Hermione and Daphne shared a smile over their friends' antics. "What?" Savannah said. "Do you want to make a wager on it? I'll put my money on a week or less."

"No, I do not want to make a wager," Lilah said, a hint of disgust at the crassness of betting on her friends' sex lives seeping into her voice.

"What about you, Hermione? Daphne?" Savannah asked after rolling her eyes at her sister.

"I don't really think I want to be a part of this," Hermione laughed, looking out to the ocean, her eyes skimming past Blaise, Theo and Harry to where Ron and Astoria were shamelessly flirting, playfully dunking one another and pretending to try and get away from the other as they splashed around.

"I call between one and two weeks," Daphne said, also watching the pair. "What are we betting for?"

"Daph, please don't encourage her," Lilah groaned, causing Savannah to snicker, Daphne to smirk, and Hermione to smile at them all. Hermione was still getting used to being in a group of friends that consisted of more girls than just her, and she had to admit to herself that she enjoyed their company more than she had expected after watching the pettiness of Lavender and Parvati for the previous six years.

"How about whoever loses pays for a day at _Spa Magnifique_," suggested Savannah.

"It's a deal," Daphne replied, holding out her hand to shake on it.

Hermione's gaze moved from Ron and Astoria to once again find Blaise's toned body on his surfboard, paddling out into the ocean.

_Blaise crawled up the bed so he was laying down facing her. He brushed a sweaty tendril of hair behind her ear, and she gave him a warm smile. "Can I touch you?" she asked, shakily. The last time she had asked, he had brought her home, and she was afraid that he would send her away again._

"_You can touch me anywhere you want," he replied huskily, a smirk on his lips as he leaned forward to place a series of light kisses on her lips. _

_Her hand tentatively touched the soft skin of his hard shaft at the same moment his tongue invaded her mouth. Her fingers grazed over him, barely touching his skin, but the contact was enough for him to moan into her mouth and force himself to stay still. She reached past his shaft, to his balls, which were surprisingly heavy, before moving back to his hard length, her touch never more than a gentle caress._

"_You won't break me, Hermione," he whispered against her lips as he reached down and laid his hand over hers. He forced her to grasp him tighter than she would have ever imagined before he started moving her hand up and down his cock. She would have thought that she was hurting him, but the look on his face, along with the noises coming from his mouth, told her otherwise. _

"_I- I think I can take over now," she stammered as his tongue made contact with her neck, his free hand playing with one of her breasts._

"_You sure?" he whispered in her ear before nipping at the lobe._

"_Y-Yes," she breathed out. His hand moved away from hers so that it was playing with her other breast, and she continued the long, deliberate strokes that he had started; he was now arching to meet her at every stroke. _

_She eventually mustered her resolve, and pulled away from him. He started to open his mouth to protest, but then he saw what she was planning. "Are you sure you want to do this, Hermione?" he asked. "You know you don't have to," he told her as she scooted down the bed._

"_I know I don't have to. I want to," she replied, her voice trembling as she looked up at him, her nervousness showing clearly in her features._

_Before she could psyche herself out, she leaned over and took just the head of his cock in her mouth. He was wholly different from what she had expected. While she had noticed that his skin easily moved over his hardness when she had used her hand on him, feeling it with her lips and tongue was a completely different thing. Breathing in through her nose, she inhaled his musky scent, and could feel herself becoming turned on from the anticipation of the act she was about to perform._

_She flicked her tongue across the tip, and dipped it into the slit at the top. He tasted salty, and she groaned before sliding further down his shaft, taking more of him into her mouth. It hit the back of her throat, triggering her gag reflex and causing her to quickly pull away, though she kept her mouth around him. She lowered her mouth again, only not going quite so far down this time, and sucked gently on his flesh, forming her cheeks around his length._

_Blaise was doing his best to control himself and not start pumping into her mouth with abandon. Instead, his hands grasped the duvet, his knuckles turning white with the strain. "Use your hand, too," he instructed her through his pants, and she immediately complied._

_She brought her hand to his shaft, pumping it up and down, meeting her lips with every stroke. After a few minutes, he couldn't control himself any longer and warned her that he was about to come, and if she didn't want it in her mouth, she should stop what she was doing. _

_Hermione immediately pulled her mouth away, but left her hand to finish the job as her lips moved to his chest to play with the hardened nubs of his nipples. When he came, it was in hard spurts that covered both their bodies and her hand, which had continued caressing him until he was completely spent. _

_After a few minutes, he grabbed his wand from the clothes that had been left on the floor and cleaned them off before pulling her to him, and laying on the bed with her in his arms. Hermione curled up against him with a smile on her face, her entire body feeling warm and happy. That had been the most amazing experience of her life, and while she knew that she still was not ready to take that next step, she was no longer afraid about it. _

Hermione was brought to reality by the feeling of lips chapped from the salt water brushing against her own. She smiled into the kiss as her friends cat-called around them. Blaise then seated himself between her legs and leaned against her body, soaking the front of her. She idly played with his hair as she turned her attention back to her friends.

"I'm starving," Harry commented as he sat on the edge of Daphne's chair. "Where are you all planning on taking me for dinner?" he asked with a joking grin.

Ron, who had dropped right onto the sand with Astoria next to Daphne's chair, gave him a playful shove while Hermione and Daphne rolled their eyes.

"Where do you want to go?" Theo asked from his spot on Lilah's chair.

"I could go for some Italian," he responded. "Or some Indian. Maybe even some Mexican or Chinese. I'm pretty much open."

"So English it is," Theo answered with a grin. Harry gave him a look that plainly showed he wasn't amused, and everyone burst out laughing, except for Ron and Astoria, who were whispering to one another.

"I could always have the house-elves make something," Blaise pointed out. After a lengthy discussion, with no more than three people agreeing on any one type of food, they decided to have the house-elves cook them a surprise.

After they all had showered and dressed, they converged to eat their dinner, which consisted entirely of breakfast foods. Not soon after Harry finished opening his presents, the group Flooed back to Blaise's, where they went their separate ways. Harry and Daphne were in a rush to get back to Grimmauld Place and put her present into use, and Lilah and Savannah had a curfew to adhere to. Astoria and Ron each went to their own homes.

After giving Blaise a short kiss, Hermione left him with her brother so the two could have some time together. Both boys had been spending a lot of their time with their girlfriends, and neither had had much time to spend with just the two of them. Hermione knew that while neither would admit it, they both missed the other, and she wanted them to do whatever it was that the two of them did when they were on their own.


	41. Chapter 41 Diagon Alley

**Chapter 41 Diagon Alley**

Two days later, at Saturday breakfast, a pair of barn owls swooped through an open window and waited patiently for Hermione to remove the letters they bore. One was for her, and the other, which was slightly heavier, for Theo, each with the Hogwarts seal. In a matter of moments, the owls were fed and watered, and Hermione sat down at the table with her letter, leaving Theo's there for when he would wake up in another few hours.

It was the standard Hogwarts letter, telling of all the books and equipment she would need for the upcoming school year. Sifting through the pages, she couldn't help the wave of disappointment that swept through her.

"Is there something wrong, Hermione?" Caoilinn asked from her seat at the table, having noticed the change in Hermione's face.

"Oh, no, there's nothing wrong," Hermione said, looking at her mother with a forced smile. She handed the note over so Caoilinn could read it. "Can we go to Diagon Alley today to pick everything up? I've already finished my summer work, and I would really like to get a jump on reading my new books."

"I'm sorry, honey," Caoilinn answered, skimming over the pages of the letter. "Your father and Theo are going to the Crabbes' today. We wouldn't have nearly enough time to get what you and Theo will need before they have to leave."

"We can go without Theo," Hermione suggested hopefully.

"No, we can't," Caoilinn answered with a laugh. "He'll have to be fitted for his robes. We may have gotten yours at the beginning of the summer, but he still needs new ones. Plus, he may want something that isn't on the list. I have prior engagements both tomorrow and Monday, so you're going to have to wait until Tuesday."

"But, Caoilinn," Hermione groaned, sounding as though her world were coming to a pitiful end.

"Sorry, Hermione. I'm sure you can wait three more days before you get your new school books." Caoilinn was obviously amused, and Hermione mock-glared at her.

"I suppose," she responded, giving a wistful sigh.

Caoilinn once again laughed at her theatrics and shook her head. "Your letter says that this is the third year you have been made Prefect. I'm very proud of you, and I'm sure your father will be as well."

"Thank you," Hermione responded, the forced smile once again making an appearance.

"Ahhh, you were hoping for Head Girl, weren't you?" Caoilinn asked, sympathetically.

"Yes," Hermione answered, unable to hide her disappointment. "But I suppose I understand why I wouldn't get it. With the amount of school rules we've broken over the years, even if we did have very good reasons, it's almost surprising that Ron and I were even named Prefects."

Almost five hours later, Hermione was sitting down to eat lunch with Blaise, Harry, who once again had been named Quidditch Captain, and Ron, who had also made it another year as Prefect. They were just starting to eat when Theo arrived, freshly showered and ready for his day.

Hermione handed him his letter, which he opened on the spot. Before he had a chance to pull out the sheaves of parchment, though, a shiny badge fell to the floor. He picked it up and stared at it, dumbfounded. Hermione was the closest to him, and she stood up to get a better look at it.

She thought that perhaps he had received Malfoy's Prefect spot- after all, Malfoy _had _almost killed Katie Bell and Ron before his plot to kill Dumbledore was thwarted by the death of Lord Voldemort. Instead, the words 'Head Boy' were written across the widest part in block lettering. She gaped at the badge for a moment before she caught herself. "Congratulations, Theo," she said half-heartedly, giving him a one-armed hug.

"Thanks," he responded, not noticing her lacklustre attitude through his shock that was quickly turning into excitement.

When he didn't say anything more, Hermione looked over at her friends and boyfriend. "Theo's been made Head Boy," she told them, trying to sound excited. She was happy for him, after all, but it only seemed to amplify the fact that she _hadn't_ made Head Girl.

Blaise threw up his hands in mock frustration, and an attempt to lighten Hermione's mood. "My best mate is Head Boy, my girlfriend is a Prefect, Potter is Quidditch Captain, and even Weasley over there made Prefect! What do I have to do to join the club? I want a fancy title, too!" he exclaimed. Harry and Theo started laughing, and even Ron found himself chuckling at Blaise's antics.

Hermione's lips twitched into a smile, and she sat on Blaise's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But you do have a title." He quirked an eyebrow at her, and she continued. "You are the Gryffindor seventh year Prefects' super-sexy boyfriend."

"I think I can handle that title," Blaise answered at the same time as Harry and Ron groaned.

"Hear that, Weasley?" Theo said with a laugh. "Blaise is your super-sexy boyfriend."

Ron was going to respond with a smart retort, but instead started to chuckle, the laughter from the others infectious.

*** *** *** *** ***

When Tuesday morning arrived, Hermione did her best to wait for Theo to wake up on his own so they could go to Diagon Alley. She had tried everything she could over the previous two days to convince Caoilinn to either take her without her brother, or to let her go alone, but her mother was steadfast. Caoilinn had brought Theo to purchase his school supplies every year before, and since not only was this his last year but also Hermione's first with them, and she would not have it any other way than for her to bring them herself.

Finally, as ten-thirty rolled around, Hermione could no longer take the wait. She barged into Theo's room and jumped onto his bed. "Theo, wake up!" she called out in a bright, cheery voice.

"Go away," he moaned, not even opening his eyes.

"But, Theo," she said, her tone bordering on a whine as she knelt down next to his prone figure and started shaking him. "Please get up. I want to go get my books, and you have to come. Please! I'll go out with you and Lilah and then ditch you so you can have some alone time," she promised.

He gave her an amused smile as he slowly opened his eyes. "That's a really bad bribe. I was under the impression that was going to happen anyway."

"Oh, shut up," she laughed, pushing at his shoulder.

"Now that's no way to treat someone when you want them to do something for you," he said with a yawn as he stretched out. When she responded by jutting out her lower lip and making puppy dog eyes at him, he couldn't repress his laughter.

"Where on earth did you learn that pitiful trick?" he asked.

"Daphne," she responded simply. "Why? Is it not working?"

"No. Sorry, sister, but puppy dog eyes do not suit you. Now leave so I can go take a shower." She gave him a dirty look in response, but did as he asked, happy that he wasn't going to go back to bed.

Forty minutes later, he was showered and fed, and he, Hermione, and Caoilinn Apparated to Diagon Alley. Their first stop was Madame Malkin's in order to get Theo fitted for his robes.

The only other student there was Susan Bones, who was almost done with her fitting. Susan and her mother also regularly attended the Saturday teas, but had missed the first one Hermione had gone to. She and Hermione were now on friendlier terms than in the past, never having had much to talk about, but neither made any effort to see the other outside of those get-togethers. The two started talking, and when Hermione let it slip that Theo had been made Head Boy, Susan's eyes lit up.

"Really? Thank Merlin," she sighed. "I was so afraid that it would be Malfoy. Or even worse, Ernie."

"MacMillan?" Hermione asked, surprised that Susan would consider her housemate a worse candidate for Head Boy than Malfoy.

"Yes. He's nice enough, but he's just so full of himself. Working with him would have been a nightmare. I think Theo and I can work together well enough," she said, flushing when she realised what she had just said. "Oh- I'm sorry, Hermione. You were probably expecting to be Head girl- I was expecting you to be, and I was so shocked when I opened my letter…" she said, trailing off.

"It's okay, Susan. I was a bit upset at first, but then when I realised how much time it would have taken up, even past my Prefect duties, I'm rather happy that I didn't get it. Now I'll have all that extra time to study for N.E.W.T.'s."

"And spend time with Blaise," Theo interjected with a smirk.

Hermione's face flushed, and she glared at her brother. "That's another perk," she said.

"I'm so relieved," Susan said. "I was so afraid that you would be mad at me."

"Susan, I could never be mad at you over something that you had no control over."

Susan and Theo switched places, and Susan was soon shuffled out of the shop by her mother, who had been talking to Caoilinn. It seemed like it took forever for Theo to finally be fitted and his robes to be ordered, but it really wasn't more than twenty minutes before the three made their way to Flourish and Blotts for their books.

Caoilinn and Theo practically had to drag her from the bookstore forty minutes later, in order to go to their next stop, which was to purchase their Potions supplies. Once they had her out of the shop, though, Hermione did her best to breeze through the rest of the shopping trip. She could not wait to get home to read up on her new classes, but as if just to annoy her for making him wake up so early, Theo took his time in every shop they went into, until they finally left Diagon Alley to go home four hours later.


	42. Chapter 42 Tea, Again

a/n…. Okay, so I admit that this chapter and the next are mostly filler, but both do serve a purpose when it comes to laying background for parts of the epilogue to make sense… there are only 2 more chaps plus the epi.

**Chapter 42 Tea, Again**

Over the next few days, Hermione was practically inseparable from her new books. There was even a point where anyone who hadn't seen her with new books before were wondering if they had been connected to her by way of a Permanent Sticking Charm.

Her friends did their best to coax her away from her books and into their company, but Blaise was the only person to actually show results. Kissing him had quickly become Hermione's favourite pastime, just after reading, though, so it wasn't much of a feat.

On Saturday afternoon, Hermione got ready for tea, which was going to be held at Alexandra Hopkirk's house. Mrs. Hopkirk was a retired senior member of the Wizengamot, and her opinions still held considerable sway over many current members of the group. Hermione had yet to decide exactly what profession she wanted to pursue, but it would never hurt to make a favourable impression on the powerful witch.

She put on a set of dress robes and did her hair and make-up before leaving her room to make her way through the house and meet her mother in the sitting room. Theo was also there, and he took the opportunity to snicker at her from behind their mother's back, knowing that Hermione was not overly fond of the teas. She walked behind him and leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Just you wait, Theo. Next week when you have to go play nice with Malfoy, I'll be the one laughing."

In response, he turned his head to glare at her. He had never been a fan of Draco Malfoy, and the blond nearly killing Hermione had caused Theo to downright despise the other boy. Every other Saturday, though, he still had to be cordial to Malfoy when they would see one another. He, along with Blaise, Harry and Ron, had already started planning out their retribution, which would come in small but continuous doses throughout the school year.

Harry had been concerned that Theo being made Head Boy would hamper them, but since Theo was more than willing to abuse his power for this particular cause, his status would come in as a major asset. Their main concern was making sure that Hermione didn't find out what they were doing, as she believed that she had chosen the best retribution. They all knew that she just wanted to see the anguish in Malfoy's eyes every time he was forced to be nice to Harry, and that she hoped that they would have many classes together.

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione and Caoilinn were crossing the picturesque grounds of Hopkirk Estate. Alexandra Hopkirk herself met them at the door, and Hermione greeted her with a demure smile and a handshake firm enough to meet the grip of the no-nonsense woman.

Hermione and Caoilinn were escorted by a house-elf to a large room that had been set up for that afternoon's proceedings. Hermione gave her mother a smile before she made her way across the room to the table her friends were sitting at, stopping every few feet to speak to the many women who had become intrigued by her over the past weeks. Her fresh viewpoint, and the fact that she was willing to defend it, no matter how much it differed from that of some of the older witches in particular, had caused just as many affluent women to take a shine to her as it caused to immediately and immensely dislike her.

When she reached her table, she sat down between Daphne and Pansy. The other girls at the table were mostly from Slytherin, but Hermione no longer felt out of place among them. "How was your week, Hermione?" Pansy asked, not because she cared, but because she had been doing her best to stay on civil terms with her, especially after the incident with Malfoy. Pansy didn't want Hermione to have any cause to pay retribution to her- she wasn't afraid of the other witch, she just thought it would be dreadfully annoying to deal with.

"Enlightening," Hermione answered in the same tone of forced civility. "I bought my schoolbooks, and have started reading them. Most of them are rather interesting."

"So interesting that you've been ignoring your mates," Daphne accused, her voice only slightly serious.

"Sorry about that," Hermione responded. "It's just that we'll be learning Human Transfiguration this year, and-"

"Okay, okay, we get the picture," Daphne said, holding up her hand, a laugh in her voice. "You have fun reading your books, and I'll have fun not having to share Harry's time with you." A couple of the other girls giggled at this, though they were still amazed that a Slytherin of any sort had landed Harry Potter. They had all assumed that once Ginny Weasley had gotten her claws in him, she would never let him go. After all, anyone with eyes had seen how much she had wanted the famous boy, even since her first year at Hogwarts.

"I hear Blaise's mum got married again. How long do you think it'll be before this one's dead?" a blonde girl from Pansy's little clique asked. Both Pansy and Daphne stared at the girl, aghast.

"Pansy, I think you need to check the intelligence level of your friends before you allow them to open their mouths," Daphne said, glancing at Hermione's rapidly darkening face. While Zarina was famous for her status of continual widow, most people assumed that her husbands died from mal-intent, much like Hermione once had. It had become common knowledge, though, that Hermione was dating Blaise, and so such comments were considered beyond crude not only in her presence, but said in such a public situation.

Before Hermione could blow up at the girl and cause an unwanted scene, Daphne whisked her out of her seat and across the room as Pansy leaned in to admonish her lackey in hushed, but harsh tones.

"Avalee isn't very bright, Hermione; please don't listen to anything she says. Pansy will straighten her out," Daphne said lowly as they made their way over to where Lilah and Savannah were talking with their mother and a few of their mother's friends.

"But why would she say something like that, especially in front of me?" Hermione asked, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

"She's always had a little thing for Blaise… and the money he's going to inherit from Zarina and all of her dead husbands. She probably thinks that if she can cast doubt on Zarina, that you'd leave Blaise, and he'd once again be free for her to try and snag him, just as she's tried practically every week for the past three years."

"That's just stupid," Hermione said.

"I know," Daphne said with a laugh. "Her mind does ultimately work like a stereotypical Slytherin's; she's just not smart enough to pull off any of her schemes."

By the time the two had reached the Moon sisters, Hermione had calmed her temper down enough that there were no worries she would go off on the girl, who looked rather deflated after the unexpected tongue lashing she had received from Pansy on Hermione's behalf.

They joined in animatedly with the group of women before tea time was announced and they made their way to their assigned seats. Hermione and Caoilinn were seated at the same table as the hostess, which was considered a great honour, and was a wonderful chance for Hermione, who took the opportunity to probe Mrs. Hopkirk for her perspective on what it was like to work in Magical Law Enforcement.

For her part, Mrs. Hopkirk was flattered to have a young person not only ask about her experiences, but also be truly interested in the answers, and not just asking what they thought she would want to hear. When the older woman became engaged by another young witch, Avalee came up to Hermione, impressing her with Pansy's ability to control her clique as she apologized to her in a way that almost seemed like she was grovelling for forgiveness. By the time they left the tea, both Hermione and Caoilinn were sure that Hermione had a major backer should she choose to take that route with her career.


	43. Chapter 43 The Spa

**Chapter 43 The Spa**

The following Thursday was the next time Hermione's entire group of friends was able to get together. Once again, they were all clad in their swimwear, only this time they were relaxing on blankets and in chairs on the grass surrounding a clear swimming hole on the grounds of Blaise's new home. Zarina and Jonas had returned from their honeymoon three days previous, and Blaise was now living with them until he left Hogwarts.

Hermione had just laid down on her chair to let the sun dry her off from her swim when Daphne sat down, balancing on the edge of the chair near Hermione's stomach. She leaned in before whispering conspiratorially, "I won the bet!"

Hermione's eyes widened and she glanced over to Astoria, who was seated next to Savannah, the two of them painting their toenails. Her eyes then travelled to Ron, who was racing Harry on their brooms. "When did it happen?"

"Friday- I won by one day," Daphne responded with a smirk.

"Savannah must be happy," Hermione said with a wry chuckle. She may not have wanted to be in on the bet herself, but she had no problems with listening to gossip on the results.

"Oh, yeah. Now she has to pay not only for herself and me, but Astoria found out, and she's decided that since Savannah lost a bet about her, that she has to pay for her as well."

"Even though you were in on the bet as well?" Hermione asked.

"Mmm hmm. She said that since I won, it wouldn't be fair to make me pay for her." At this, Hermione laughed outright; sometimes she really didn't understand the minds of her Slytherin friends. She would have thought the fair thing to do would be to make each girl pay half, since they were both in on the bet.

"When are you going?" Hermione asked, shielding her eyes as Daphne shifted so she was no longer blocking the sun from Hermione's eyes.

"Tuesday. You're coming with us, you know," Daphne informed her.

"I've never been to a spa," Hermione said with a smile. She had hoped she would be invited, but hadn't wanted to assume that her invite was automatic. From Daphne's voice, though, it sounded that her friends had assumed she should have known that she was going, and that thought made Hermione's smile widen even further.

"You'll love it," Daphne promised her.

"What'll she love?" Blaise asked, appearing above them and dripping from head to toe.

"The spa," Daphne answered.

"Ahhhh, so girly things," he responded with a chuckle.

"Yes, girly things," she answered, swotting at his leg, since she couldn't reach his head.

"Oi! There's no need to hit!" he said, feigning outrage. "Besides, my girlfriend may take offence to you trying to grope my arse," he continued, looking thoroughly put out.

"No, she won't," Hermione answered with a laugh.

Blaise looked down at his girlfriend, a wicked smile blooming across his face. "Excuse me, Daph, but I think you're in my spot."

Daphne looked from Blaise's predatory smile to Hermione's amused one, and held up her hands. "I want no part of this," she said before standing up and going over to Harry, who had won four of the five races he and Ron had held, and was about to jump into the water to cool off.

Blaise took Daphne's seat, but instead of just sitting there the way their friend had, he leaned forward until his face was within a foot of Hermione's. She opened her mouth to say something, but Blaise took that opportunity to shake his head, sending droplets of water all over Hermione.

She squealed, and braced her hands against his shoulders, trying to push him away, but without much success. Instead, he used his own hands to move hers from his shoulder to his waist before he leaned even closer to her, his hands resting against the chair on either side of her head. "You don't mind if other girls are trying to grope me?" he asked lowly, as he stared into her eyes.

"Not when the groping is all a figment of your imagination," she responded cheekily.

"You little brat," he said before quickly closing the space between them and pulling her into an intense kiss. Her hands made their way up to his shoulders; she revelled in the feeling of those taut muscles above her. She moaned against him as he repositioned himself on the chair so that he was laying on top of her, their limbs entwining.

"Oi!" Theo, Harry, and Ron all shouted at once.

"There will be none of that going on with my sister!" Theo called out, taking Blaise's attention away from Hermione, who breathed heavily against his cheek when he turned his head to look at his mate.

"Yeah!" Daphne yelled from her spot on Harry's lap. "Get a room!" she said, only to receive glares from the men around her.

At that, Blaise broke out into a grin. "Sorry, can't- the house-elves won't let us," he responded. Hermione giggled into his ear, unabashed over her predicament, thinking back to how many times she had seen her brother and friends in the same situation.

Five days later, the five girls arrived at _Spa Magnifique_, ready to be pampered. The girls received deep tissue massages, were slathered from head to toe with thick potions to rejuvenate their young skin, had their nails professionally done after pedicures and manicures, and a dozen other treatments.

Their last appointment of the day before returning home was in the mud room. Hermione had found being nude in the same room as her girlfriends weird throughout the day, but by the end, she had no problems seeing her friends bare bodies, and showing her own, even if the flashes of skin were very short-lived between robe and towel changes.

They had the mud room reserved for an hour, and as soon as they were alone, they all slipped into their tubs. Hermione found the texture of the mud against her skin surprisingly refreshing, though she thought that it may have had something to do with the magic imbued properties of the substance.

"How are you and Blaise coming along?" Astoria asked Hermione, once they had all settled into their tubs. "The two of you looked rather _comfortable_ with each other the other day." Savannah gave a slight chuckle at her cousin's choice of words, but the other two girls rolled their eyes, despite wanting to know the answer.

"I would say that we aren't quite as _comfortable_ with each other as you are with Ron," Hermione answered, bringing a laugh from the younger girl. It had taken her a while to get used to talking about things like sex with her friends, as that had never been a topic brought up with Harry and Ron, but she found she liked having the other girls to talk to. Not to mention that since they were all very open with one another about their experiences, they expected Hermione to be the same- in the name of fairness, of course.

"Really?" Daphne asked, surprised. "I had assumed that you two had gotten that far, and quite frankly, Harry has the same notion. He's not too happy at the thought, but then all I have to do is remind him how hypocritical it is of him."

"Theo's assumed it as well," Lilah said. "It took him a little while to get passed the thought, but I think he's done it. After all, Blaise is his best mate, but you're his sister, and even though he knew that it was bound to happen, he really wanted to think that it wouldn't."

Hermione laughed, shaking her head in her tub. "No, technically speaking, I am still a virgin. I'm ready to take things further, but I don't want it to be in any of the places we've been- most of them outside, what with those stupid wards that our parents have put up."

"Oh, Merlin, don't even get me started on those wards," Lilah moaned, much to everyone else's amusement.

"So what are you going to do about it, Hermione? I don't really see either of you being able to get away with renting a room or anything like that," Daphne said, genuinely curious as to how her friend was planning on solving her logistics problem.

"I don't know," Hermione said. "Probably just wait until we're at Hogwarts. It's kind of sad to say that it would be easier at school than at home, but I can't think of anything else. All I really want, though, is for it to be special."

"Of course it will be special," Savannah said wisely. "After all, it will be with Blaise, and the two of you care a lot about each other. There's no way it could _not_ be special."

The girls spent a few more minutes trying to think of ways around the wards for Hermione, and then moved onto the next topic. When they finally left the spa, Hermione's mind was filled with possibilities, and her body was the most relaxed and pampered than it had been in a very long time.


	44. Chapter 44 The Clubhouse

_a/n---- So, this chapter, the last chapter, contains the longest smut scene I have ever written, it's literally more than twice the length of my other chapters. I could have turned it into two, and had one as a lead in to the smut, and one just for the smut, but I decided that that would just be horrible and mean of me. I hope you all like it! Also, I'm sorry for being so late in the day, but I had a bunch of errands to do after I got out of work._

_**Chapter 44 The Clubhouse**_

_The following Sunday, Blaise and Hermione went on another 'official' date, with just the two of them. Blaise took her for a picnic dinner in the English countryside, where there was nothing but fields, pastureland, and the occasional house for kilometres around. They stayed there for hours, talking, kissing, and horsing around._

_As the sun set, Blaise laid back on their picnic blanket, resting on his elbows as he watched Hermione. She was spinning in circles, her long skirt flowing around her, and her hair getting caught in the wreath of wildflowers she had made. As she laughed into the wind she was creating, he couldn't help but think he had never seen her so free. He was almost overwhelmed with his happiness that her heart was finally light. Throughout all of the years since she entered the magical world, even a not-so-casual observer like him was been able to see that she had been stressed with the weight that had been on her shoulders. _

_When she came back to the blanket, she collapsed to her knees next to him, her face red, her breathing slightly elevated, and her eyes rolling back and forth like she was still spinning on the inside. She leaned forward and caught his lips with her own, and brought her hand to the nape of his neck, where she stroked the fine hairs there. He deepened the kiss, and soon, she was laying on the blanket with him leaning over her. Eventually, he pulled away and lay down next to her, her head resting on his shoulder, and his arm under her neck while his fingers played with her hair. She was reminded of the first time he had tried kissing her, only to be interrupted by Theo. _

"_What are you laughing about?" he asked as he tilted his head towards her._

"_The look on your face when Theo came looking for you and you couldn't kiss me."_

"_He did have very bad timing," Blaise said, still slightly annoyed with the memory._

"_He's not here to interrupt us now," Hermione said with a sultry smile as she cuddled against his side, drawing patterns on his stomach through the fabric of his shirt. Before he could say anything in response, her lips were on his in a hungry kiss, and her hand had made its way under his shirt and was running up along his chest._

_His hands rested on her hips, before one started roaming the smooth planes of her back. When she started fiddling with his trousers, he rolled them over so he was straddling her, and took her hands in his. "Not here," he whispered, lightly kissing her lips._

"_Why not?" she asked with a tinkling laugh. "It's not like anyone is going to interrupt."_

"_Because I have other plans for you," he told her, his hot breath against her cheek before he stood up, pulling her with him. With a flick of his wand, their picnic was packed and in the basket they had brought with them._

"_What kind of plans?" she asked, her voice low and her eyes flaming with want as they roamed his body, leaving no question as to her hopes of what those plans would be._

"_The kind that you're going to have to wait to see," he responded back with a smirk._

"_You're no fun!" she accused, playfully smacking his arm. He grabbed hold of her hand, bringing her flush against him as and he wrapped his arms around her, the picnic basket resting against the back of her thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck, but instead of the kiss she was expecting, she suddenly felt the pull of Apparition, and they disappeared from the small hill they had been standing on._

_They reappeared in the back gardens of the house that Blaise now owned. Blaise put down the picnic basket, and before Hermione could ask any questions, he brought his lips down to hers. He would never get tired of kissing her, no matter how long he lived._

_When they broke apart, after simply staring into each other's eyes, their breaths mingling, Hermione smiled up at him. "Where to now?" she asked lowly._

"_You'll see," he responded mysteriously, taking her hand in his and leading her away from the house and toward the gardens while leaving the picnic basket on the ground. Eventually, they came upon a small cottage; it could have had no more than two rooms, at least if the inside matched the outside. "This used to be my and Theo's clubhouse when we were little," he told her._

"_Did you have a 'No Girls Allowed' sign posted?" she asked with a cheeky grin._

"_We did, actually," he answered with a mock-glare as he led her closer to the small structure._

"_You know, most children don't get actual houses to play in. Most have to build small tree houses… or forts made out of sofa cushions. Those are especially fun," she said with a nostalgic grin._

_Blaise snorted. "My mother may not be strict on many things, but I would have been in so much trouble if I played with her sofa cushions."_

_They had reached the cottage, and Blaise opened the door for Hermione to enter first. Behind her back, he quickly pulled out his wand and gave it a quick wave before he stored it back in his pocket. She gasped as fairy lights lit up all around the room to show a path of petals leading through this front room, which had a small kitchenette and two sofas, to the back room. Blaise clasped her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing each knuckle. "It's so pretty," she said, looking around._

"_Follow the petals," he advised with a chuckle._

_She glanced up at him before she smiled and started towards the back room, hand still ensconced in his. "Oh, Blaise," she breathed out once she had crossed the threshold. She stared at the room for a moment before she turned back around and threw her arms around his neck. "It's perfect," she told him before gently kissing him._

_The room had transformed since its clubhouse days, though that did make sense since it was now mostly used as a guest house. The petals continued into the room, and were strewn all about the floor. There was a large bed against the farthest wall, which wasn't all that far considering that the room was rather small. The duvet and pillows were all black, and white lace curtains fell from the ceiling, gathered together at the corners of the bed, where they would connect if the bed had been a four-poster. All of the fabrics shimmered in the soft candlelight, which was emanating from sconces on every wall._

_The kiss deepened, and Blaise started to walk her backwards toward the bed. When she fell down onto it in a seated position, she put her hands against his chest and gently pushed him back. When he gave her a questioning look, she smiled up at him. "I need to visit the loo," she told him._

"_Right over there," he answered, his head gesturing to a door on one of the walls. She stood up and left him with one last kiss before disappearing behind the door. _

_When she was done with her business there, she washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror. Her mouth fell open at the disgraceful situation that was her hair. It was still knotted and windswept, the daisy chain falling apart, but still there. She pulled out her wand, and __Banished _the flowers away. Each flower came out individually, pulling a bit of her hair with it. She then took a brush from the ledge of the sink and brushed it until the knots were a thing of the past.

She knew that she was taking longer than he was expecting, and she wondered if he was worried that she was getting cold feet. Instead of immediately going back to the room and erasing these fears, though, she once again took out her wand, and looked at herself critically in the mirror. After a moment's deliberation, she removed all of her clothing, folding most of it and putting it in a neat pile on the floor, before Transfiguring her skirt into a sheer robe with a hood, white feathers trimming the entire garment, and three hook-and-eye closures right at the breasts.

After one more glance into the mirror, she breathed in deeply and opened the door. "I was getting worr…" Blaise started to say, his voice fading away when he caught sight of her. "You are absolutely beautiful," he breathed out as he quickly stood up from his spot lounging on the bed and took her in his arms.

She responded by kissing him fervourently, her hands cupping his face as he pulled her body flush against his.

Blaise reached his hands to her thighs and lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist as her arms snaked around his neck, never breaking the kiss. He carried her to the bed and sat her down in the edge of the mattress, her robe floating around her.

He knelt on the floor in front of her, causing her to emit a cry of protest when his lips left hers. He leaned back, resting against his heels as he smiled softly to her, his fingers drawing soft designs against the skin of her feet, slowly making their way up her legs, setting her nerve endings ablaze.

When his hands reached her thighs, still moving slowly upward, he leaned in to gently kiss the inside of her knee, and his lips followed the path set by his hands until he reached the junction at the top of her legs. He grabbed each of her legs and draped them over his shoulders, sending her a lecherous grin before he dove face-first into her thatch of glistening curls.

One of his hands rested on her ribs while the other held a thigh in place as he made the first swipe to her concealed depths. She let out a gasp at the contact, which was quickly followed by a moan when his tongue delved deeper in a long, broad stroke. He started nipping at her labia before he sucked her bundle of nerves into his mouth.

As he laved that sensitive part of her with his tongue and teeth, his hand that had been on her thigh moved so he could penetrate her with his fingers. He gently slid in one digit, and started undulating it within her in the way he had learned she liked best through their explorations of each other's bodies over the past weeks. She rubbed against him, her movements quickening as she responded to his ministrations with breathy moans.

He pulled away from her clit, dragging his teeth against it in the process, and added a second finger. He licked his way around her slick, pink skin, teasing her with light caresses while his fingers pummelled her. He started a scissoring motion inside her, stretching her out and readying her for what he hoped was to come. He had never done this before to her, and she started to buck against him so hard she practically dislodged him from his place on the floor. The hand that had started out at her ribs, and had been gently drawing circles on her stomach, which was a particularly sensitive area for her, moved to hold her down while he went back to her clit with a new fervour.

No matter how many times he performed this particular act on her, he would never get tired of it. He loved the feeling of her unravelling under his mouth and his hands, and knowing that he was the only person that held that power over her. She was soon coming undone around him, and he latched onto her, his fingers still moving within her until she was laying flat on her back, her breasts heaving under the sheer robe and her hands clutching clumps of the duvet beneath her.

He crawled above her slowly, taking his time to caress over possible inch of her with his tongue. When he arrived at her breasts, her robe was still in tact, but he moved the fabric to fully expose them before he palmed one, his fingers playing with her pebbled nipple while his mouth started work with the other. Her fingers were wrapped in his hair, holding him against her until he pulled away and gave the same attention to the other.

When his lips finally met hers, their bodies were rubbing against each other with abandon, and while the feeling of his shorts against her hot pussy was delightfully rough, Hermione suddenly had the overpowering desire to feel his skin against hers. She ran her fingers along his chest, bringing his shirt up with them, until she finally pulled the shirt above his head, ripping herself away from the passionate kiss.

He groaned at the loss of her lips against his own, but when his shirt was gone, and her lips crashed with the damp skin of his chest, his groan turned into one of pleasure. She gave his nipples the same attention he had afforded her, her hands busy with the fly of his bottoms. When she finally had them undone, she pushed them down as far as she could before she took his straining cock in her hand, looking down at it hungrily.

He quickly rid himself of the rest of his clothes before fumbling with the clasps of her robe, eventually giving up and just ripping it apart. She gave a deep moan as she watched him tear through the fabric, and leaned upwards just enough to remove the sleeves from her body so the fabric was simply pooled beneath her on the bed and no longer connected to her body.

She reached down and retook his cock in her hand stroking it slowly, her grasp firm.

Hermione loved the feel of his length, and she found it increasingly harder and harder to not feel him through his trousers when they were with their friends. Due to the few times she had failed to stop herself, Blaise had become aware of this new obsession of hers, and he found that his ego wasn't the only thing that swelled when she would chance a touch to his clothed member.

"Blaise," she whimpered plaintively, and he responded in kind, barely able to concentrate on his current task of leaving a mark on her neck with her hand wrapped around him so deliciously. "I want you in me. Now," she moaned.

He stilled above her, having been waiting to hear those words for some time. "Are you sure?" he asked, breathing heavily as he looked into her eyes for any sign of hesitance. What he saw instead was an array of emotions: anticipation, lust, only a slight bit of fear, and something else that he couldn't place.

"Yes. Blaise, I love you, and I want to share this with you. I want to be with you in every way possible," she told him earnestly, hoping not only that he wanted to do this with her, but that he reciprocated her feelings. She had never before said them to another person in a romantic way before, and she felt as though she had metaphorically jumped off a cliff without knowing whether her parachute was packed properly.

"I love you too, Hermione. I've loved you for quite some time," he responded after a brief pause, the truth in his words showing plainly in his eyes. She crashed her lips against his and pulled him against her. He almost slipped from atop her, and he started to laugh as he stood up. She chuckled along with him as she slid higher up on the duvet so she was no longer at the edge of the bed, but in the middle.

He crawled up to her, and his sinuous body reminded her of a panther and he closed in upon her as though she were his prey. He pounced upon her, their lips meeting in a harsh kiss. His hand found its way back to her core, only to find that she was dripping with need. He entered her with two fingers to reinforce his earlier ministrations, and she was quickly writing beneath him once again.

"Blaise, _please_," she whined against his ear.

He pulled his fingers away from her, and replaced them with his cock at her entrance. She wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to spread herself as wide as she could for him. "This is going to hurt at first. I'd change it if I could, but I can't," he murmured to her as he coated the tip of his cock in her juices.

She nodded her head in ascent, and he dipped his cock into her, not going very deep at all. When he pulled back and thrust in again, he went in a little deeper, and the muscles in his arms and back were corded with the tension in his body. Even just this little taste of her was amazing, and he didn't think that he would be able to last long once he was fully buried within her moist heat.

"Stop teasing and just get it over with," she pleaded, wanting the painful part to be done with as soon as possible. He gave a short nod before he gave a powerful thrust, and buried himself to the hilt.

She gasped loudly, and he immediately stilled. Her eyes were closed, and there was a lone tear leaking from one of them. He wanted nothing more than to move, but he wouldn't move even a milimeter until she said he could. He kissed the tear from her eye before moving to her mouth with a soft, sensuous kiss.

Sooner than he expected, she moved her hips tentatively, and he slowly pulled away from her until he nearly slipped out of her before pushing back in just as slowly. He continued at this agonizingly slow pace for nearly a full minute, ecstasy filling him at her tightness, but being driven mad with the lack of friction. He let her control the pace from below him, gradually speeding up until she was moaning in what sounded like pleasure.

His heart swelled to know that she was no longer in pain, and he attacked her neck with his mouth once again, murmuring words of praise and affection in her ear. When he started to feel his completion coming on, he bent over and took a pebbled nipple in his mouth, his fingers rubbing desperately at her clit in an effort to bring her over the edge once again, this time with him.

She came far quicker than he had anticipated, having just had an orgasm, but he was thankful for it, because as her walls clamped around him he could no longer keep himself back, and he peaked, filling her with his hot seed.

He lay on top of her, his weight resting on his forearms, both of their breathing highly laboured. When they had both caught their breaths, he pulled out of her, and lay down next to her, pulling her against him. She cuddled up against him, looking up at him with satiated eyes. "You are amazing, Blaise, and I love you," she told him sleepily before she rested her head against his sweat-drenched chest and fell asleep.

"I love you, too," he responded as he pushed back her sweaty hair and kissed her temple. She was peaceful while she slept, and he listened to her steady breathing contently. He loved her- he had known that for quite some time now, but the fact that she loved him back filled him with a warmth he didn't expect. Slowly but surely, all of his dreams were coming true, and he had never been happier.


	45. Chapter 45 Epilogue

a/n-- it's the end! and there's no chance of a sequel, just so you know, lmao. i'm happy that so many of you enjoyed it, and i hope you have a wonderous day.

**Epilogue**

A group of seventh years from all houses sat together in a big cluster under a small copse of trees on the grounds of Hogwarts. They had finished their N.E.W.T.s the day before, and were now taking to time to relax in the warm air after the months of heavy studying.

"When are quidditch try-outs?" Hermione asked her two life-long friends from her spot on the grass, playing with the soft curls of Blaise's hair while his head rested on her lap.

"June thirteenth," Ron answered at the same time as Harry's, "July first." Both young men were going to try out for a few different teams, but each had a specific one in mind that they were hoping for an offer from.

"Mine will be just two days after Daphne and I get home from our honeymoon."

"Honeymoon?" Lavender asked, sensing she was about to hear some gossip.

"Yes," answered Daphne. "Harry and I are going to be married in two weeks."

Hermione wasn't surprised by this news- it was only four days previous that Harry and Daphne had confided in her that Daphne was pregnant. They had been frightened of what Daphne's parents would say, and both had assumed that a quickie marriage was likely. Neither had seemed too put out by the prospect, though.

It looked as if most of their friends hadn't had any idea that this was coming, and they all sat there, jaws hanging wide open.

"Are you sure you want to do that, mate?" Ron asked, despite knowing the circumstances. "No offence to Daphne, but do you even know how many birds you'll be missing out on?" After his short tryst with Astoria the previous summer, and owing to his prowess on the pitch, Ron had become something of a ladies' man, never dating any girl for more than two weeks. On the rare occasion they had dated longer, the girls were known to go on ego trips, thinking to have snagged Ron Weasley. In fact, Ron had become even more desirable that Malfoy, once he had gained his self-confidence, proving that more girls in Hogwarts went for men based more on personality than money.

"It's not like I was going to date anyone else," Harry said with a laugh, giving Daphne a squeeze around the shoulders. "I've been planning on marrying Daph for quite some time now, and I can't think of any reason to wait."

"You do realise you've gone nutters- actually wanting to be with one witch for the rest of your life."

"Ron, I'm sure one day you'll meet the perfect woman and change your mind," Savannah said, taking the words right out of Hermione's mouth.

"Not bloody likely," the redhead scoffed.

"She never said it would be anytime soon," Hermione said, laughing at the disgusted look on Ron's face.

"What, are you planning on running off and getting married, too?"

"No, Ron. I love Blaise, Blaise loves me, but I, for one, am not ready to get married yet. Besides, Theo and I have two years of strict training ahead of us."

"I hear it's really time-consuming, too," Theo interjected.

"But, Theo, what am I supposed to do while you're spending all your time training?" the witch who Theo's arm was wrapped around said with a pout.

"How about you get a job, or train for a career," Hermione said in an annoyed voice.

"I can't get a job!" she responded, horrified. "My mother says that working is beneath us- I have to find a proper wizard to marry," Pansy Parkinson said, sending a sly glance to Theo.

"I'm not going to marry you, Pansy," he told her in a bored voice, giving off the impression that this wasn't even the tenth time he had had to tell her so. She had been hinting about marriage for almost a month now, and it was getting on his last nerve.

Lilah had broken up with him a month into the school year, and about the same time Draco had dumped Pansy. Knowing that Pansy was trying to become a better person, at least where his sister was concerned, Theo decided to give her a chance. They had been together ever since, much to Hermione's chagrin, but she didn't foresee the relationship lasting much longer. One of the many times she had complained to Blaise about how often she had to see the girl, he had admitted to her that Theo was tired of her, but staying with her mostly because she was a good lay. Hermione had had to stop herself from retching at the mental image afforded her.

Pansy huffed, crossing her arms across her chest and looking away.

"Not to mention that Dad will make our lives hell if training to be an Unspeakable isn't the highest priority for either of us. Sometimes I think I should have chosen a different career just so I wouldn't have to worry about disappointing him," Hermione said.

"You have nothing to worry about, love," Blaise reassured. "You'll be an excellent Unspeakable."

"You don't even know what an Unspeakable does," Theo commented, still ignoring his sulking girlfriend.

"Doesn't matter. Hermione would be excellent at whatever she chooses to do."

"And you'll be great in your Arithmancy apprenticeship," Hermione told her boyfriend, leaning forward to drop a kiss on his forehead.

"Yes!" came a sudden scream from the outskirts of the group. Susan Bones was wrapping her arms around her boyfriend of nearly two years, Neville Longbottom, who looked to be getting to his feet.

As soon as she let him out of the fierce hug, Susan rushed off to the other girls to show off the ring he had just placed on her finger.

"See!" Pansy said, looking at Theo. "Harry and Daphne aren't the only ones getting married." In response, Theo sighed and rested his head in his hands.

Before anyone could say anything else, though, they heard Dean Thomas calling to them from five or six meters away, asking if anyone wanted to play a pick-up game of quidditch that was being organized. Half of the group immediately responded in the affirmative, and the whole group stood to leave their nice, shaded patch of grass.

As Hermione watched her friends walk to the quidditch pitch, lagging slightly behind, she couldn't help but think of all the changes her life had seen over the past year, starting with the death of Lord Voldemort. She felt immensely blessed, having the love of not one, but two great families, and a large group of close-knit friends that she knew she could turn to with anything life could throw at her.

"You coming, love?" she heard Blaise call, and realised how far behind the others she had fallen back. When she nodded her head, he waited for her to catch up. "I love you," he murmured, gazing into her eyes.

"Always and forever?" she asked, a playful smile finding its way to her lips.

"Always and forever," he verified, closing the space between their lips.


End file.
